Till the Grave
by Krimsun
Summary: Years after the barrier has been broken, Frisk lives with Asriel and Toriel a seemingly peaceful life. The two siblings are currently in high school, and Frisk should be happy. After all, Asriel wouldn't break their promise, right? (Rated M to be safe)
1. The Sins Last

Frisk sauntered down the long hallway with a spring in her step. The floor was checkered with hues of orange, the old tiles plenty with cracks. The walls were yellow, and so was the light that shone through the Gothic windows. Massive pillars lined the hallway that towered high into the ceiling. Several meters away from her, was the silhouette of a rather plump skeleton.

There he stood, not moving an inch.

"So, you've finally made it this far?" He questioned her. Judging from his tone, Frisk knew he _wasn't_ congratulating them.

 _Oh Sans, you were the_ _ **most**_ _interesting out of them all._

A wicked smile spread across her face as she gently caressed the edge of their knife. It was coated in a thin layer of dust – tacky and powdery.

"Are you proud of yourself kiddo? Do you _really_ enjoy all of this?" Sans asked one more time, his voice taut with anger; he wanted answers.

"Dunno, I guess I was bored," Frisk finally spoke out, shrugging her shoulders.

Sans took a deep breath; he knew that this kid wasn't normal. With a raise of their hand, he materialized two Gaster blasters on each side of him.

Frisk started dashing towards him, dodging the two beams of light. She used her forearm to protect her face from all the flying debris, but when she moved it away to see if Sans was still at the _exact_ same spot; a sharp-tipped bone was heading straight for her forehead.

 _Oh n-_

Frisk jerked up from her bed screaming at the top of her lungs. There was an excruciating pain on her forehead, with her palms on there. Her sweater was drenched with sweat, and she was taking quick gasps of air.

 _Everything…felt so real._

She looked at her hands, the feel of dust still lingered in her hands.

 _Was that what dust feels?_

Abruptly, the door to her bedroom opened and Asriel was there, panic written all over his face.

"Frisk! Is everything all right?" He asked her, and Frisk didn't know what to say.

Tears started streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably and Asriel rushed to her, and sat down next to her.

He hugged her, caressing her back gently while saying, "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay, I'm here."

The sharp pain faded away, but her fear did not. The image of San's cruel smile was etched into her memory, his eyes were dark and lifeless; save for a cyan flame in his left eye socket. Frisk's fingernails dug deeper into his back; she felt so scared. After a while, the amount of sobs slowly dropped and Frisk rubbed her sore eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.

"I'm all right now," Frisk said while flashing a fake smile to Asriel. _What an amazing lie._ He just stared at her, eyebrows furrowed.

"After that? This isn't the first time this has happened; I'm sleeping here," Asriel declared.

 _ **What**_ _?_ _ **Here**_ _?_ Her cheeks were a roseate hue from Asriel's bold statement. Hell, even he was embarrassed; he was trying his best to avoid eye contact with her.

"Azzy, we're not kids anymore," Frisk whined while crossing her arms.

"Nope, sleeping here," Asriel replied as he tucked himself into bed. Now, he was mocking her by pretending to snore.

"Fine," Frisk said as she as well got into bed. Asriel's eyelids were closed, and his face looked so serene.

 _Does he feel that calm sleeping next to_ _ **me**_ _?_ Frisk pondered over that.

Hesitantly, she put her arm around Asriel, and did not regret doing that. He felt so warm and cosy, not to mention his soft fur. Uninterrupted, the both of them slowly drifted into a deep slumber, with faint smiles on the two's faces.


	2. Till the Grave

Frisk woke up, rubbing her eyes. She looked beside her, and instead of Asriel, was a crumpled blanket that replaced him.

 _He must have woken up already._

Frisk recalled what had happened last night, and her lips curled into a smile. When they were younger, Asriel **was** the one that got nightmares. She would hear faint sobs dead in the night, and she would peer into his room, only to find him tossing and turning in his sleep.

On her toes, she would sneak up into Asriel's bed and snuggle with him, and he would stop moving.

Frisk decided it was time to get out of bed and quickly take a shower. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a mess of papers strewn all over the bedroom desk. Upon closer inspection, the papers were full of sketches and doodles.

Frisk heaved a sigh.

Since the both of them entered high school, Frisk couldn't help but think that their relationship was growing bit by bit more distant. The two went to the same school, but Asriel was taking art while Frisk was interested in music. Frisk pondered whether he had forgotten about their promise many years ago.

She glanced through the mess of pencil lines, and saw a rather sinister drawing. It was a man holding his face, and he was on fire (definitely not Grillby). Frisk could feel chills running up her spine, the emotions were placed into the drawing very well. Frisk hoped it was a drawing and nothing more.

The sound of fire sizzling and a delicious aroma steered Frisk from her current thoughts. She went downstairs, and saw Asriel frying eggs and bacon.

"My, my, what a gentleman of you to prepare breakfast for me," Frisk teased him, hands on her hips.

Asriel snorted at her claim and replied,

"Who said these were for you?"

Frisk was slightly taken aback by Asriel's remark, but she gained her composure again.

"You always remember others and end up forgetting about yourself," Frisk praised (or criticised) him.

Asriel handed a plate with two eggs and a slice of bacon to her who was sitting at the table. The meal was made to resemble a face smiling widely, with the eggs as eyes and the slice of bacon as the mouth.

Frisk giggled to herself. It was silly but at the same time cute that Asriel had thought of doing such a thing.

She took a bite of the crisp bacon, and genuinely thought that it tasted good. In fact, it even looked good. The yolk of the eggs was a nice gold and the bacon was juicy.

"Hey Az, do you still remember the promise we made when we were kids?" Frisk looked up from her meal and asked.

"Sis, we've made countless promises since we were kids," he replied while shrugging his shoulders.

The word 'sis' invoked a feeling Frisk couldn't describe with words, but she quickly pushed it away. Frisk crossed her arms and scowled at Asriel; she knew he understood what they were talking about.

"Fine, I'm utterly disappointed that you don't remember though," Frisk said, pouting.

"I'm just _joking_ , of course I remember," he said.

Frisk lightened up, even grinning slightly.

"Care to tell me, Dreemur?" Frisk asked him.

"It was when we were ten year old, and you brought me to this clearing in the forest. We were sitting on a log talking, and then you suddenly brought out your little finger and said that we would be best friends, till the grave," Asriel explained.

Frisk was ecstatic that he still remembered it. She got up from her seat and flung herself at Asriel, hugging him.

"Aww, I'm glad that you still remember it!" Frisk told him, grinning from ear to ear.

Although the promise was from many years ago, Asriel could still recall it. That made Frisk glad that it was as important to him. Asriel has been her best friend since the day they met and he would always flash that pure smile of his to her. He was the only one who truly understood the burden of having the power to reset – the temptation to just restart everything over again.

Knowing that Asriel still remembers their promise fills Frisk with determination.


	3. Tied by False Blood

**Hey guys, sorry for the inconsistent updates on the story (school and all). So as compensation, this chapter is much longer ^_^**

Asriel was rushing down the hallway, jostling through a few students. Before he knew it, his face was flat on the floor. A pain resonated throughout his entire head, and it felt like his head was going to split apart.

When he looked up, he saw two burly boys, with their arms crossed looking down at him.

 _Dennis and Khallen._

His eyes eyebrows furrowed and he could feel himself boiling with anger. Asriel noticed the students who passed them pretended not to notice, only taking quick glances at them.

"What do you want?" Asriel asked them.

The two chuckled at him, and Khallen who was taller one among the duo said,

"Look _goatboy_ , we didn't bring our money, so we were thinking if you could lend us some,"

 _I am not handing these two my money._

Asriel looked at Khallen into his sinister eyes. He hated every **single** bit of this guy. Cocky and violent, he would always pick on the students smaller than him. Asriel's hands curled into fists, only for them to relax a moment later.

He picked himself up and patted his clothes, then replied with a smug smile,

"Sorry gentlemen, I too, did not bring my money."

Asriel flinched when he was slammed against the lockers with a loud thud.

"Look here **punk** ; did you think I was asking?"

Khallen had grabbed his collar, and the two's faces were inches away. Dennis was grinning wickedly at the back, enjoying the show.

"How about you go fuc-"

Asriel's sentence was cut midway when Khallen was knocked to the ground. Frisk was there, with her right hand clenched.

"F-frisk?"

Asriel stammered, shocked to see his sister here.

"I will **not** hold back when it comes to bullies,"

Frisk growled at them (one was on the floor groaning in pain, the other shaking), glaring at the two.

Khallen got up and the both of them scampered away.

"Wow, that really was something Frisk," Asriel said, impressed at the punch she had landed on him.

Frisk had her hands on her hips, grinning from ear to ear. Frisk felt proud of herself, and she patted Asriel's shoulder.

"Are you okay, my Majesty?" Frisk teased.

Asriel rolled his eyes and said,

"Oh _please_ , I'm anything but that,"

Frisk snickered and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Anyways, I've got to go for classes,"

She told a disappointed Asriel and walked off.

The two waved back at each other, and Asriel leaned back against the lockers, thinking. He admired Frisk's courage to immediately stand up to whatever was morally wrong in a flash. She was like an elder sister, even though the two were of the same age. Asriel could depend on her, as she would always be by his side.

His cheeks were a roseate hue as he thought about Frisk, and his heart began drumming against his check quicker.

 _What's this feeling…?_

Asriel pondered to himself. No matter how ward he thought about it, he couldn't place the feeling in words. His chest felt tight and he felt…

 _Happy._

But it was a different kind of happy. Sure, Asriel would always be ecstatic to see Frisk, but now his heart would race faster, and he did not know why.

 _Frisk_

Frisk felt so _furious_ seeing Asriel getting bullied. Why did people have such prejudices, especially against monsters? It has been years since the barrier was broken, but some people were stubborn about the way that felt about monsters.

 _Why? They didn't do anything it wrong. It was us who locked them up deep under the ground._

Frisk felt ashamed at the part of her thought. She didn't know how many years they had stayed down there, but Frisk knew it wasn't comfortable being locked up. She heaved a sigh and entered her classroom.

 _Home, after school._

Asriel was lying on his bed, and a pair of headphones rested on his ears. He could hear the song that was playing with perfect clarity, but Asriel wasn't paying attention to it. He couldn't get the feeling he experienced off his mind, at it gnawed on him like a wild animal, its bite getting deeper and deeper every time Asriel tried to swat it away. He looked out of his window, and the corners of his mouth curled. The stars were high in the sky, gleaming in the stark black sky. Even though Asriel has seen them countless times, he is still mesmerized by their beauty.

 _They look like angels._

Asriel laughed at that thought. They looked anything but that.

He turned to look at Frisk, who was doing her homework in his room.

"Hey Frisk, what do you think stars look like?"

Asriel said abruptly, taking of his headphones.

Frisk raised an eyebrow, and then thought to herself.

"They just look like stars,"

She said smiling.

Asriel laughed at her answer. It was awfully simplistic, but it made sense in every way. Asriel was about to return to what he was doing, when Frisk spoke up.

"Hey Az, could you help me get my guitar?"

Frisk asked.

Asriel looked around the room, and spotted her guitar on the top of the dresser (how did that get there?). He was doubtful about trying out his _blue magic_ , but Asriel decided to give it a shot anyway. The guitar on the top of the dresser glowed blue, and it started to shake slightly. Unfortunately, Asriel couldn't get it to move an inch. He heaved a sigh, feeling a bit disappointed in himself. Looks like he will need extra lessons from Sans again.

"Don't worry; I'll get it myself,"

Frisk got a stool and stood on it, tip-toeing to reach the guitar. Frisk fingertips were brushing against it, and she was clearly struggling to reach it. Asriel noticed that the stool was starting to shake a bit and got behind her.

"Hey, I'll try to get it,"

Asriel said, making sure he was not staring at Frisk's rear, or probably for too long.

What Frisk did surprised Asriel.

She leaped and grabbed the guitar by the neck, with the other hand holding onto the edge of the top of the cupboard. Frisk then landed on the stool, giving Asriel a smug look.

However, she **completely** forgot about her balance.

Frisk swayed from side to side dangerously on the small platform, trying to balance herself. Asriel's eyes widened in shock as Frisk came tumbling down on him with a loud crash.

Asriel opened his eyes, and he found himself inches away from Frisk's face. His hands were on her hips, and Frisk was over Asriel.

 _Oh shit._

The two didn't move at all, and both of their cheeks were burning scarlet. Asriel started to notice the features of his sibling's face; her soft lips, and those hazel eyes looked _beautiful_ up close.

If Asriel had leaned any closer, their lips would be locked together. Asriel felt his cheeks burning from embarrassment. The both of them were in an uncomfortable and suggestive position.

 _What do I do? Do I move away? How?!_

Asriel started to panic; he didn't know how to get himself out of this position.

"My children, what happened? I heard a loud n-"

Toriel asked, who was at the door, and her face was full of shock.

"Oh my,"

Toriel had said it out loud, and then she laughed nervously and walked away.

Asriel could not believe that just had happened. What was he supposed to do now? Did she think that he and Frisk were secretly in a relationship?

"MOM! It's not what you think!" Asriel shouted, while gently pushing Frisk off. She got up and sat on the bed, looking down at the floor.

 _Will Mom believe me?_

 _Dinner, after the 'incident'._

The family of three sat at the dining table, with an air of tension around them. Nobody made small talk, and just sat there eating their pies for dinner.

The silence was finally broken, when Asriel spoke out.

"Mom, really, Frisk just fell on me," Asriel said.

"No, it's okay if you two ar-"

Toriel's sentence was cut short by a stern 'Mom' by Asriel.

"Look Asriel, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have done that," Frisk apologized about their stunt.

Asriel smiled sympathetically and ruffled her hair. She does not need to apologize for an accident like that.

"Look, it's okay. Just make sure you don't do anything crazy again," Asriel said.

Toriel smiled at her two children and told Asriel,

"Alright my child, I'll believe you; it was nothing more than an accident."

A sense of relief swept over Asriel. He was glad that his mom finally believed him.

 _Dead In the night, where only grownups sleep._

Frisk was on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She tried shutting her eyes, but that didn't help; Frisk couldn't sleep at all. When Asriel was **that** close to her, Frisk swore her heart had skipped a beat. She pondered whether Asriel knew this or not, but he was quite the handsome fellow. He was secretly quite popular among the girls. Seeing girls bickering over whose turn was it to talk to Asriel bugged her, but she didn't know why. An image of Asriel laughing merrily with a couple of girls beside him plastered a scowl on her face.

 _No._

Frisk quickly swatted that feeling away. That was wrong. If Asriel was happy, she should be happy, right? Frisk tossed and turned around her bed, groaning. She did not have a clue what she was feeling, and it annoyed her.

 _I guess I have to ask Penny then._

Little did she know that Asriel too, was having troubles sleeping.


	4. Blue Magic

_During school hours on the next day._

Asriel walked into the classroom – he was currently having _Magical Education_ for lessons. His footsteps were heavy as he walked to his desk.

They were studying Manipulation for the first term, or _blue magic_ as people like to call it, and Asriel **dreaded** it. He seemed to be completely inept at it, having difficulties for even moving small objects. The only redeeming quality of the lesson was that his Uncle Sans (who was not really his uncle) was the teacher.

Asriel had recalled the first time he had stepped into the classroom – it was like a circus; stationery were spinning and zooming around and books were levitating off the desks. Everyone had watched him with their mouths agape.

He had to admit, he was proud to know him.

"okay class, for today, you've got eggs on your desks,"

Sans's gravelly voice broke the murmuring and small talk between the students.

Everybody looked down at their desks in confusion, and gasps could be heard from some of the students – there were eggs on their tables.

 _Since when were they there?!_

"everyone have one? _eggcelent,"_

Sans said with a wide grin on his face (which he always has), earning groans from everyone.

Although everyone was groaning or rolling their eyes in disgust, all of them knew that San's classes were the most entertaining. He stood out from the sea of sullen-looking lecturers, and he was proud of it.

"alright everyone, i want each and every of you to throw an egg at me, not with your hands to remind you," Sans said.

People looked at each other in disbelief. They were not sure if he was messing around or he was serious.

An egg was hurled towards him, and it stopped inches away from his face, glowing a brilliant cyan.

Everyone looked behind to see Peter shrugging their shoulders and smiling nervously.

"good job kiddo, i'll give you _egg-stra_ points for that, Sans said, chuckling.

 _He's pulled the last straw._

Eggs zoomed across the classroom, each of them stopping before hitting him. Asriel's egg hovered slowly, shaking violently, and was sent tumbling towards him. Of course, it didn't hit him too.

In front of Sans, was literally a wall of floating eggs.

The eggs started to slowly drift in a cardboard box, and then Sans spoke up,

"see kids, if you're very skilled, you can do that like it was a walk in the park."

After Sans' extraordinary start to his lessons, he started to tell more on the topic of magic.

Not long after the barrier had been broken, the City Council had decided that it was compulsory for every monster in school to take Magical Education; they did not want untamed magic roaming in the streets. At first, magic was restricted to only be used in domestic households, but they learned that much potential was being wasted, and it was allowed to be used for industry, entertainment, and the list goes on. However, when it was discovered that humans too could use magic, every student had to take magic lessons (although humans tend to be less adept at magic than monsters due to their more physical bodies).

After extensive research, magic was found to be divided into two major parts; _Manipulation_ and _Conjuration_. Manipulation was the ability to control objects – move them around, change their shape, exert a pressure on itself and so on. Conjuration was the ability to create using someone's magic reserves, which differed with each individual.

They have not found out about _determination_ though.

"everyone got that? good, tomorrow there's going to be a test," Sans said.

Before everyone had lost their minds, he quickly told them he was just joking and everyone was dismissed. Everybody, including Asriel, took their bags and proceeded to exit the classroom. However, Sans wagged his finger at him, indicating that he had to stay back.

Asriel heaved a sigh, and went to him.

"Yeah Uncle Sans?" Asriel asked, wondering why he had him stay back.

"so kiddo, how's your blue magic going?" Sans asked him.

Asriel's eyes furrowed into a slight frown, and he was not really sure of what to say.

"It's alright I guess," he finally spoke up and shrugged his shoulders.

Sans looked at him for a moment, and took out a small metal cube from his pocket of his blue sweater.

"make this loop about three times," Sans said while handing it to Asriel.

He took it and closed his eyes. It was small, but that meant that he had to be extra careful in moving it. Feeling the magic in him channel into the cube, he levitated it and started to move it in a loop. Asriel was going quite well so far, until the cube started to shake and it was flung across the classroom.

 _Shit._

Sans gave him a sympathetic look (can skeletons even do that?) and explained to him,

"look, you've got to be confident, and make sure you're just paying attention to what you're doing."

Asriel closed his eyes once again. He felt Sans' bony digits lay on his shoulders, and they sagged. Asriel envisioned the metal cube within his spectral grasp, and made sure he was in control. It levitated off the floor and slowly drifted back towards him. Asriel bit his lips, and his hand were clammy. After what seemed to be an excruciating eternity, the metal cube was on the teacher's desk.

"alright kiddo, you keep this. you've got to practice lots," Sans said, patting his shoulder.

Asriel heaved a sigh of relief; he was glad that it had not whizzed out of the window or hit anybody. He grabbed his bag and left the classroom, after saying bye to Sans of course.


	5. To Realize and Admit

**Hi guys, sorry if this chapter was** **really** **late. I had edited some of the previous chapters ( just minor stuff). Drop a review or message to tell me if there's something I should know or improve on.**

 _Frisk, during lunch._

Frisk was eating her sandwich, and Penny was sitting across from the table having lunch with her. Frisk did not know how to start off the conversation regarding her 'feelings'.

She glanced up from her sandwich, and looking around to see if anyone in her class was around, she mustered up the courage to ask Penny.

"Hey Penny, can I ask you something?"

Her friend merely raised an eyebrow and nodded her head.

"Err, how would you say it… when you see someone you care about having a great time with other people, do you feel sort of annoyed?"

Penny looked at her in amusement, with a smug look on her face.

"Frisk, I think what you're feeling is jealousy. Jealous that people are spending time with this 'person' you love," she said, waiting for Frisk's reaction.

Frisk's eyes were as wide as saucers as they stared right at her.

 _Did she just use the word love?_

Frisk was pretty sure she did not mean it in a platonic way, judging from her grin right now.

"Penny, she's my brother!" Frisk exclaimed.

Frisk knew what jealousy was – she had heard stories of people whose lives had been wrecked by it. But she had not experienced it herself, and she was still at disbelief of being jealous at people spending time with Asriel.

"Frisk, are you talking about Asriel?" Penny had asked her with her face full of surprise. She was giggling and grinning from ear to ear.

Frisk covered her mouth, just realizing her carelessness. Her cheeks flushed pink at her mistake.

 _Damn, I wasn't supposed to say that!_

If Frisk's internal screaming was audible, every student in the school compound would be able to hear her. She was pondering over whether to tell Penny the truth or just deny what she had said, like a dirty liar.

She looked away from her friend, pouting.

"Fine, I am talking about _Asriel_." Frisk admitted it, waiting for her friend to burst out laughing,

However, there was no laughter or mockery. Frisk was confused at first, but when she looked at Penny, she had a soft smile on her face. It was the first time she had seen this smile of hers, but it was a smile of maturity and understanding.

It reminded her of Toriel.

"Hey Frisk," Penny said in a gentle tone, soothing Frisk. It was as if a wave of relief had swept over Frisk, and gently tugging her into the calm waters.

"There's nothing wrong with loving your brother; whether it be platonically or romantically." Penny's smile turned into a reassuring one.

"Haha, you're already assuming I'm head-over-heels for my brother," Frisk teased her while rolling her eyes.

"You should see what you look like when you talk to Asriel you know," she replied.

Frisk's face burned scarlet as her mouth was agape from her statement.

 _What did I look like? Was it embarrassing?_

Thoughts popped up in her head and she wondered if anyone else would have noticed.

 _Why does my life have to be so complicated…_

Frisk, who was looking down at the floor, mumbled at Penny, "S-shut up."

 _Am I really 'love' with Asriel? As far as I know of, there isn't really anything that supported that._

The feelings she had when she's with Asriel, or the amount of times he's made her laugh, or the anger that engulfed her when she saw him getting bullied came to mind.

 _But that could just be that we're siblings._

Frisk felt like she was completely hopeless in this situation; there wasn't really anyone else that she could confide in. She wondered if she had told Toriel or Asgore; they would probably be overwhelmed with shock. Frisk ruffled her hair in frustration and anger. She felt lethargic and lifeless.

Frisk noticed that Penny had not said a single word for quite a while, and when she looked up, she was giving her that 'face'.

Penny used it when she wanted to tell her something, but couldn't verbally.

 _Looks like she's asking me too look behind._

So Frisk did what she was told and turned around, only to find a caprine figure standing before her.

"Is everything alright, _sis_?" Asriel said, worry in his tone.

Frisk had shrieked from surprise and jumped out of her seat.

"A-Asriel, what a-are you doing h-here?" Frisk stuttered.

 _Oh god, oh god. What if I had said all her thoughts out loud? Did he overhear our conversation?_

The space in her head was crammed with questions and her hands were starting to get clammy.

"Not much, it seems like something's on your mind- anything bothering you?" Asriel asked raising an eyebrow.

"N-not m-much," Frisk stuttered once again.

 _Why am I so nervous?_

For some reason, her words could not come out of her mouth smoothly; Frisk was hesitant to say a single word, as if they had a huge impact on their conversation.

Penny was sitting there, seeing how _this_ would unfold.

Asriel looked at her doubtfully- he knew something was off today.

"Are you having a fever? Your entire face is red," Asriel asked, confused at the latter. He placed the back of his hand against Frisk's forehead and it was boiling hot.

"You are!" Asriel exclaimed without waiting for his sister's response. He took Frisk by her hand and said, "I'm bringing you to the nurse's office."

 _Am I really having a fever? I don't remember falling sick today… Frisk thought to herself._

 _She placed an arm over Asriel's shoulder. It felt smooth and soft against her skin. It was always a nice feelings to have._

 _What's this feeling? A sense of… protection? Asriel pondered to himself as he brought his sister to the nurse's office._

That left Penny, all by herself at the table.


	6. A Strange 'Dream'

**Sorry if this chapter feels a bit wonky or different (might be just my imagination though). Criticism is accepted, whether positive or negative as long as it is constructive and reasonable.**

There was absolutely nothing around her. The darkness stretched far and beyond, and the air was ice-cold. She could not hear anything, not even the drumming of her own heart or her breathing.

No, she was wrong. She could pick out the sound of howling winds in the distant. The atmosphere made the hairs on her skin stand, and she hugged herself.

Out of the blue, a bright light materialised a few meters away from her, and it closely resembled a twinkling star. Warmth filled Frisk's heart, and she took a step, then another. Before she knew it, she was striding towards it with confidence and a grin on her face. Frisk knew she could do it. No matter how many times she had to try, she would save him despite the hurdles and obstacles that stood in her way.

When she was close to the beacon, a word appeared before her. 'LOAD' in orange capitalized letters. Her grin shrunk into a gentle smile, and with a trembling hand she touched it.

A chime of bells echoed throughout the void, and she felt a sense of detachment to her physical body. A flock of butterflies appeared from a seemingly non-existent point in the void not far from Frisk and brushed past her. Their wings were a myriad of colours, and they slowly faded from each colour to another.

She could feel herself falling.

Deep into the void.

The distant howling winds grew ever louder and louder until she could feel the wind blowing her hair.

"Frisk...frisk..!" a soft voice spoke put to her.

Frisk woke up, rubbing her eyes. Asriel was sitting by her side, gently shaking his hand to wake her up.

"Gee Frisk, it sure is hard to wake you up," Asriel complained, crossing his arms. _Huh? What am I doing here?_ Frisk squinted at Asriel, and then looked around her. The nurse's office was a soft pink, and the bed she was on was soft.

"How long have I been asleep?" Frisk asked Asriel with a raised an eyebrow.

Asriel thought for a while, then replied,

"Not for long, one or two hours."

The memories started to slowly seep back into her mind; Asriel had brought her to the nurse's office, and then she assumed she fell asleep the moment she got onto the bed. Her head hurt, and her body felt extremely lethargic. However, the nervousness she felt earlier had been gone, and now Frisk felt she could talk to him without stuttering every single word that came out of her mouth. She guess she owed it to her comfy rest.

An awkward silence surrounded the two, when Frisk noticed something soft had been clasping her hand. When she looked down, she found out it was Asriel's hand.

He must have noticed her looking at it as he quickly withdrew his hand and mumbled "Sorry."

Asriel was looking away, twiddling with his fingers.

Frisk giggled a bit, and he glanced at her.

"It's alright Az, you can hold my hand if you're scared,"

Frisk mocked him, stifling herself from bursting out laughing.

Asriel snorted and asked, "You were tossing and turning around in your sleep. What were you dreaming?"

Frisk could remember her dream vividly. It was when she had tried to save Asriel from turning back into a flower again. But something was off, but she couldn't pick out the words to describe it. Frisk felt that it wasn't right to tell him at this point of time.

She glanced at him for a second; his eyebrows were drawn together and he was biting his lower lip.

"I imagined balls of fire dancing across the night sky, and they would rise up in the sky and explode like fireworks, sending a spray of twinkling white stars down," Frisk described what had come up in her mind first.

Asriel's demeanor relaxed and he asked with a smile,

"Was it beautiful?"

Frisk nodded her head, imagining what the scene would have looked like.

Her eye's darted towards Asriel's feet, and saw his bag.

 _English lessons are over._

Frisk head hung low and said, "I guess I missed English lessons huh."

English had always been her worst subject, especially when it came to literature. Frisk just could not comprehend what the characters emotions or the reason behind their actions.

"You could SAVE before a test and load it after you took it," Asriel joked.

Frisk laughed at his humor and then replied back,

"You know it takes such a toll on my body."

Loading a SAVE point had always made her feel lethargic and weak, and she felt it was not the kind of power to be abused.

Frisk got up from her bed and took her bag which was in the corner of the room.

"The nurse says you're alright now, so I'm guessing you're going back home now?"

Asriel had spoken out, his head tilted in curiosity.

"Since this room is _so_ comfortable, I think I'll rather stay here for a few more hours,"

Frisk said while rolling her eyes.

Asriel chuckled and stood up, grabbing his own bag too.

"So I'm guessing we're going back home together?" Asriel asked when he had reached the door.

She felt ecstatic when she heard those words leave his mouth.

Frisk smiled in response and told him,

"Yeah, we are."


	7. Calamity

**Sorry for the long delay guys, there has been a lot of rewritings of this chapter, and I'd prefer to make sure I write to the best of my ability so that I wouldn't be disappointed with myself later. Anyways, here's a new chapter. ^_^**

Her ladylike fingers danced across the keys of ivory white and charcoal black, choreographing a mesmerizing dance. The music notes flowed through her mind like a gentle river, not a single one out of tune.

The song slowly faded, and Frisk turned to look at an awestruck Asriel.

"Wow, even though I've known you for so many years, I'm still amazed by you," he said, with a genuine look of surprise on his face.

She grinned from ear to ear, and playfully nudged him.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Frisk told him smugly.

Asriel sarcastically laughed and said,

"The music's beautiful, and so are you."

He wanted to sink into the ground and never be found again after saying that cheesy line.

 _Did I really say that?_

Frisk on the other hand was staring at him, eyes as wide as saucers.

"W-where did that come f-from?"

Frisk stammered, pushing Asriel again but slightly harder this time. Asriel had not flirted with her ever before, and it took her by surprise. She could feel her cheeks slowly heating up to a roseate tint and she turned around, avoiding eye contact with him.

Asriel laughed nervously and told her,

"I'm just getting back from all those times _you_ flirted with me."

 _Oh god, oh god. What do I do now?_

Thoughts whizzed around Asriel's mind, and he could feel the panic slowly rising up in him. He had not expected himself to say that.

Now, an awkward air hung around the two siblings, both with their backs to each other looking at the very so _interesting_ walls and floor.

 _Ka-chick._

The sound of a picture being taken broke the silence, and startled the two.

Both of them turned around, to see a girl with wide-rimmed spectacles and hair that seemed all over the place.

Their first thoughts were,

 _Oh look, it's Penny!_

And their second ones were,

 _You're dead to me._

"You two would make the best couple honestly," she said with a hand on her hip.

Frisk looked at her with her mouth agape and it was Asriel's turn to look like a tomato now.

She got up from the bench and whined as she tried to snatch the phone away from her,

"Peeeeeenny!"

Frisk's attempts were to no avail however, as Penny was considerably much taller than Frisk. She almost was the same height as Asriel.

Asriel had felt something strange in his chest, around the heart (he is a perfectly healthy goatboy).

 _She said 'couple', hadn't she?_

He has never gotten into a relationship before, so Asriel did not know what couples did during their dates.

An idolum had sprung up in his head; he and Frisk holding hands ambling in a park, or in a restaurant doing all sorts of lovey-dovey acts people did with their significant others.

His already red cheeks turned crimson when he fully realised what he was thinking. Asriel shook his head and patted his cheeks in an effort to regain his composure.

 _Frisk is my sister. She's my sister. Frisk's my…sister?_

He could not help but feel a sense of confusion with the word ' _sister'_ he had associated Frisk with. They were not biological siblings, right?

"Hey Mom, I think I have the hots for your daughter. So do you mind if I just scoot along with her and be… _frisky?"_ Asriel imagined himself saying that to his mother.

His head hung low in shame not only from the embarrassment from such a thought, but for using a pun too.

"Fine, you get to keep that picture, but make **sure** no one sees that pic, m'kay?" Frisk told Penny pouting with her arms crossed.

"Alright, alright," Penny said while nodding her head. That picture was not going to be deleted for a very, very long time (possibly never).

She walked up to Asriel and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Asriel, do you know that Frisk has a huge crush on someone?" Penny said nonchalantly, refraining from smiling or laughing.

Frisk's and Asriel's faces were deadpan as they stared at her. For a second time, there was dead silence.

"PENNY! That's not true!" Frisk shouted at her in annoyance.

"C-c-crush?" Asriel stuttered with shock in his face. He has never seen Frisk show any particular interest in anyone, nor in having a relationship. Asriel felt something new, and it ran in his veins. He knew what it was this time – jealousy.

"All right, I'll see ya guys next time!" Penny told them and skipped off. Frisk was now back on the bench, with a pout and Asriel was shifting on his bench uncomfortably.

"Err..if you need me I-I'll be in the classroom," Asriel said and walked away quickly.

 **I've never mentioned this before, but I apologize for the confusing education system the school is using. It is based on both American and Singaporean (Asian) system, however it is mostly fictional.**

 _In the classroom_

Asriel was idly doodling on his notebook, and everyone seemed to be going about their own business; friends were chatting among each other, students were doing their homework which they should have done last night. He swore that his heart skipped a beat when he had heard what Penny had said.

 _Who would Frisk have a crush on though?_

Asriel racked his brains to find a possible candidate, but no one seemed to fit in. An image of Frisk running through a flower field with someone else brought a scowl on his face.

 _No selfish thoughts!_

Asriel thought while shaking his head. His floppy ears accidentally slapped him on the face and grabbed at the fur on his head in frustration. Everything felt so complicated to him.

"Hey **goatboy** ," that awfully dreaded voice Asriel was too familiar with him materialized in front of him. He looked up, exasperated.

"Having troubles with something?" Dennis asked with a wicked smile. Asriel noted that Khallen was not with him unlike usual. He would always be with him during their misdeeds. Asriel got up from his seat and walked towards the back of the classroom – he _wanted_ to know when break ended.

"I'm not done with you. After all, I think your fur needs trimming," Dennis said, putting a hand on Asriel's shoulder and stuffing his other into his pocket.

He grabbed Dennis and slammed him against the wall, pinning him onto the concrete. Asriel was so tired of this person.

"Why do you hate us monsters so much?" Asriel growled, demanding an answer.

Dennis's eyebrows scrunched up and he glared at him, his eyes full of hate and spite.

"Like you'd ever understand!" He hissed back, kicking Asriel in the sides.

Asriel flinched at the sharp pain; he had went full strength. Asriel grabbed his arm, clenching with full force. Dennis howled in pain and tears started form in his eyes. Asriel had lost all grip on himself, and was not restraining himself.

"Don't you have anything better to do, **trashbag**?" Asriel said, inches away from Dennis's face.

 _What am I doing…?_

"My father lost his wife and job 'cause of you **fucking** monsters!" Dennis shouted at the top of his lungs, pushing him away with his free hand.

 _Smack._

A red handprint was on his cheek, and Dennis merely had his mouth agape. He slumped against the wall, and he was touching where Asriel had smacked him.

"That doesn't give you the rights to terrorize others," Asriel said. He had bent down and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Go away," Dennis croaked, swatting away his hand.

Asriel heaved a heavy sigh and got up. When he turned around, Asriel had caught the attention of **everyone** in the classroom. To his horror, Frisk was among the crowd too. People murmured to each other, glancing at him.

"What the **hell** were you thinking? I walk into this and I see _him_ on the floor?" Frisk stormed towards him.

"L-look Frisk I can ex-" Asriel was cut off when Frisk grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the classroom.

"Explain." Frisk sternly said, tapping her foot impatiently.


	8. Time Flies

**A/N: Thank you all for your support, whether it be in reviews or just simply reading my story! It really fills me with DETERMINATION (no really!) to continue on writing. Unfortunately, the chapter updates might be getting lesser and lesser as my exams are just around the corner. But hopefully the quality of my work still remains the same, or even better, improves. If there's anything I could rectify or improve, don't be afraid to tell me – just leave a message or review.**

 _A few days later_

"All right you two, make sure you don't destroy the house okay?" the caprine said while putting on her flowered cardigan.

"Okay Mom!" Asriel and Frisk both shouted in unison from the dining table. The two sat there eagerly, waiting for the distinct click of the door being locked.

 _Click._

"So, what are we going to do today?" Frisk asked with a raised eyebrow. Asriel folded his arms and tried to think of an activity the both of them could.

"Honestly, I don't know," Asriel finally replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

"We could watch a movie or eat out," Frisk suggested.

Asriel raised an eyebrow in response and told her,

"Aren't we supposed to be at home?"

Asriel knew better than to anger Toriel; she might seem kind-hearted and gentle but she could turn strict. Frisk and Asriel had once stayed up dead in the night, playing video games when they felt an iron grip on both of their shoulders.

They were banned from the console for a week, which might have seen trivial to others but not to Frisk. She had been playing _Final Phantasy_ for days, and she was already at the final boss. Frisk was grouchy almost all the time and even pulled Asriel's ears when he teased her that she could not beat the boss anyway.

"Don't be such a wet blanket Az," Frisk mocked him while rolling her eyes. "We'll be back before she even knows."

Asriel heaved a sigh and mumbled "All right". He knew she was pretty stubborn at times and would not back down if he had argued on further.

Frisk jolted out of her seat in ecstasy, rushing upstairs to most likely get a change of clothes.

"You get changed too! I don't want to be seen with you in pyjamas!" Frisk exclaimed and the door slammed shut.

Asriel walked up the stairs and into the room and started to change.

 _What should I wear_?

He thought as he held out a grey cloud shirt in front of the mirror.

 _Too mundane._

Now was a bright rose red jacket on him and he gazed at his reflection for an agonizing minute.

 _Too flashy._

Clothes were now haphazardly strewn all over the floor, and it seemed like it was covered in a thick layer of cloth.

Asriel groaned in frustration and he decided it was best for his sanity to just pick his first choice. He went back to the living room and saw Frisk standing there, tapping her foot impatiently.

"What took you so long? It sounds like a warzone in your room," Frisk grouched with a frown.

"Err..sorry…couldn't really pick the right clothes," Asriel apologized as he scratched the back of his head.

Frisk's lips curled upwards into a smug smile and she told him,

"I think you look good in anything, Dreemurr."

Asriel lightly punched her in the shoulder and replied,

"I thought it was you who said flattery won't get you anywhere?"

Frisk chuckled while she opened the door, keeping the door wide open for Asriel.

"After you," she said grinning at him.

Asriel laughed at her sudden gentleness, which was contrary to her brutality when it came to tickle fights.

"Thank you m'lady," he said, deciding to join in the role play.

 _At the movies_

The bright light that came from the cinema screen gleamed on Frisk's face and clothes. She sat there agape, eager to find out how the protagonist was trying to get himself out of the tricky situation. After noticing Asriel was spending a creepy amount of time looking at her, he looked back at the movie.

A cloaked figure walked out from the shadows, and Asriel could discern that flamboyant way of walking no matter how good Mettaton was acting. This was the god-knows-how-many movies he has starred in, and his popularity ever since he got into acting and singing has sky rocketed. His name and face would be on the mega screens of the towering buildings of The City.

Asriel was glad that Mettaton could have achieved his dreams, and there has always been an air of jubilance clinging onto him ever since. He would always spoil during holidays, stepping into the household with an armful of extravagant and luxurious gits.

"There's nothing I can't get for my two favourite darlings!" Mettaton would always reply when Toriel tried to kindly refuse the gifts. When he was around, moodiness and gloom would be cast aside and everyone would be smiling. Even Napstablook.

The protagonist finally defeated Mettaton in a dramatic fight, and was reunited with his lover. After the credits started to roll in, everyone got up from their seats, stretching as they had been seating for quite some time.

"Hey, wanna get something to eat?" Frisk asked, which was most likely because she was hungry.

Asriel nodded his head and the two started to walk towards a nearby restaurant.

They walked alongside the pearl white skyscrapers, and sleek cars passed them. While the monsters were trapped underground, the humans were having it worse. Earth was being ravaged by an all-out war, and it almost escalated to a nuclear catastrophe when nuclear weapons had been accidentally detonated in a firefight. Looking at their mistakes, humanity decided to use their technology not for war, but for prosperity. However, mistakes were not forgiven easily, as now that land that was teeming with life was now dubbed 'The Grey Land' due to all the ashes and steel beams that stuck out – remains from the land.

The two siblings stepped into the restaurant and got to a vacant seat. They ordered the usual – burger and fries and started wolfing down their meal.

"Hey, do you mind if I take a seat?" a mysterious voice materialized.

When they looked up, they saw a familiar face; Dennis.

Frisk glanced at Asriel as she was not quite sure of what to say. Asriel panicked slightly, he did not expect to see anyone he knew here.

"Y-yeah, sure!" Asriel blurted out, pointing a seat next to him.

"Thanks, and sorry for the other day," Dennis told them, taking a seat.

 _He's not such a bad person after all._

Dennis twiddled with his fingers and glanced around before asking,

"E-errr…just asking, are you two a couple?"

Frisk and Asriel stared at him wide-eyed before mumbling and blurting out incomprehensible words.

"N-no! We're nothing like that!" She had quickly explained.

"Oh, sorry. It's just you two spend a lot of time together and I don't really know how couples work," Dennis said.

The trio chatted about school and their life before saying goodbye to each other.

"Uh oh, I think Toriel's home," Frisk said looking at the watch.

Asriel immediately thought of the worst possible situations that could arise.


	9. Sibling Shenanigans

**I'm SO sorry everyone for the huge update gap! My schedule's really limited and after writing the would-be-new chapter I find myself unsatisfied and creating a new one. And once again I'M REALLY SORRY. =( On a slightly more serious note, I've been wondering about the M-rating I've put on this fanfiction and I'm not sure if you guys would be comfortable with *ahem* ~sexual~ business? If you guys aren't I'm completely fine with it – I'm happy whether or not there's some sexual content involved with this story.**

Asriel fumbled with the house keys, it dancing aroud in his hand.

"Quick!" Frisk urged while tugging on the hem of his sleeve.

The door clicked open and the two barged into the house, only to see a stocky caprine to their dismay.

She was sitting on the aging oak chair at their dining table, calmly sipping the tea from her cup.

" _Early,_ I see," Toriel said sarcastically.

Frisk scratched the back of her head as she laughed nervously while Asriel looked at the floor, which had become such an interesting subject all of the sudden.

"See, I told you it was a bad idea," Asriel whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up," Frisk replied while kicking his leg.

"So, any reason why you two weren't in the house?" Toriel spoke out with a raised eyebrow.

The two siblings looked at each other for an answer and stared back at their mother. How did you tell your fire-casting goat mother that you disobeyed her?

Frisk pursed her lips, and after what seemed like an eternity told her,

"Err…we decided it was a good idea to just go out for a while."

Not a muscle on Toriel's face moved as she stared at the two of them with an unamused face. She set the teacup on the coaster and folded her arms.

"So, you didn't even bother to at least tell me?" she growled and the two siblings shuffled their feet nervously as a result.

It was an embarrassing mistake they had done.

"Sorry…" the two mumbled in unison.

Toriel gave them a good stare before letting a sigh escape her body, and she walked to them and ruffled their hair (fur for Asriel?).

"Just tell me when you two are up to something, alright?" Toriel told the both of them.

The two of them let the corners of their mouth curl upwards involuntarily, and the sad downcast eyes were replaced with wide gleaming ones.

Their smiles happened to be infectious too as Toriel too had one on their face.

"Get a change of clothes and come down, alright my children?"

Frisk and Asriel dashed upstairs, pushing each other on the stairs before the doors of their rooms slammed shut. It didn't take long for them to get into fresh clothes as the aroma of meat sizzling had slowly seeped their way up and into their rooms.

 _Meatball spaghetti._

The two of them thought at the same time when their noses picked the indistinct scent. Papyrus had taught everyone he knew how to make them the moment he learned of their existence, although they stayed away from it. Of course, there was glitter as one of the ingredients in the recipe.

Toriel had modified the recipe, replacing some of the ingredients with edible ones instead. Before she knew it, the two siblings were sitting on the chairs, eagerly waiting for their meal. The looked like wolfs that were ready to tear apart their prey (aka the spaghetti). She silently giggled at the two of them, in their teens yet they seemed like children at times. Toriel almost burst out laughing trying to get a hold of an idolum of Asriel being king. He in an immensely oversized cape, struggling to lift _that_ red spear.

 _During the night on the same day_

The light stabbed into the darkness of Frisk's room as the door creaked open, and the fluffy head of Asriel could be seen.

"Hey Frisk! I wanna show you something!" he whispered-shouted.

Asriel stepped into the room without waiting for their consent, and he shook the half-asleep teen. Frisk rubbed her bleary eyes

"What are you doing in my room..?" she mumbled as she sat up on her bed.

"I'll show you – it's awesome."

A bright orange flame materialized above his furry paw, slowly dimming then illuminating back. Another one appeared in his other paw, but this time it was a cyan blue.

Frisk raised an eyebrow at him – she hasn't seen him conjure blue flames.

"Just watch," Asriel said while giving off a smug smile.

The flames suddenly started bouncing in his hands, and it wasn't long before he started juggling them. They were changing colour too, from a bright red to a calmer yellow, then a vivid emerald. Frisk didn't catch it but a third flame had appeared in the juggle.

Her mouth was agape with amazement as the myriad of colours gleamed on the fur of his face.

"Wow, it's really…beautiful," Frisk told him.

His smile grew ever wider and he sent the balls of flames upwards and they exploded into a shower of mini fireworks. It was like a less grand version of a firework show, right in her bedroom.

"Not as beautiful as you though," he whispered into Frisk's ear.

She looked at him with the unamused glare Toriel had given them earlier in the day, but Frisk could feel the tug at the corner of their lips. She pushed him onto the bed and started furiously tickling him.

"Huh? AHHH!" Asriel's voice filled the room.

"Since when you've been practising cheesy lines for me?" Frisk joked as she assaulted the poor caprine. Tears were starting to well up in the corner of his eyes as he laughed, wriggling around in her bed. But Asriel could not escape, as Frisk was sitting on them and locking them in place.

"F-Frisk stop! I'm gonn- MEEEH!" Asriel bleated out.

Frisk giggled as he tugged on the both of his ears, his face flustered, and the embarrassment staining his fur roseate.

"Don't be so down Azzy," she teased while booping him on the nose. Neither Asriel nor Frisk moved an inch from their current positions and they stared at each other dead in the eye.

"Hey, umm…" Asriel mumbled at Frisk, suggesting she should get off.

It took a good while before Frisk noticed the awkward situation the two siblings were in and she hastily got off him.

"Don't want Toriel barging into the room with us like that, right? Frisk blurted out and nervously laughed.

The tense silence continued between the two of them and not a single word was spoken.

Asriel was gazing at the ceiling and Frisk was twiddling with her fingers; each of them was waiting for the other to muster up enough courage to pierce the silence.

"Uhh...anyways goodnight," Asriel finally spoke up and got off the bed.

"You too."

Frisk got in bed and stared at the silhouette of Asriel leaving the room, before the door closed behind them.


	10. Close Call

**This chapter will be containing sexual content. Skip it if you are uncomfortable with seeing such content.**

Frisk shifted uncomfortably around in her bed. Her breathing was long draws of air, and she could feel her heart slamming itself against her chest, as if it was about to burst out.

"Not as beautiful as you though," Asriel's words reverberated throughout her head over and over again as if he was mocking her. The blood started to flow and her cheeks were now stained roseate.

 _Dammit Asriel._

Those words of his had such a huge impact – enough to send chills down her spine and leave her ears tingly. It felt ticklish reminiscing his breath tickling the entrance of her ear as he whispered _those_ words. They were like music to hear ears, and she wanted to hear more. No one else would do, it had to be him.

Frisk bit her lower lip as she stared at her hands and bust. No. That was wrong. Or was it? She had had heard of others being…attracted to their siblings. Was she attracted to Asriel? Frisk ruffled her hair in frustration – she was confused. The short period of time she had physical contact had left her baffled. And it was down there to make matters worse.

 _To hell with it._

Frisk thought as her hand slithered its way to cup her breast and rubbed the fabric against her bare skin.

 _So what if he's my step-brother? I don't care._

She tried to stifle her moans as she grew more and more aroused from the constant rubbing. Frisk stopped for a while, and she stared vehemently at her shirt.

Frisk got out of it almost instantaneously, and the cold caressed her upper body, making the experience even more enjoyable. Her other hand which had been idle this entire time crawled its way to her crotch, slipping itself into her pants.

Had she locked the door? Frisk didn't recall doing so. The fact that anyone, ANYONE, could barge into her room and see her like that on the bed right now gave her an odd sense of delight. Frisk's finger started rubbing her clitoris in circular motions, and she could feel her knees starting to get weaker and her breath was heavy.

"Azzy…" Those words had managed to slip out from her lips which made her already-crimson face even redder. Frisk imagined lewd idolums, shutting her eyes to help immerse herself. She could feel the sins slowly creeping their way up her back as she pleased herself.

Not long after that she had found her pants on the floor, along with her shirt. She was now stark naked on her bed, her hand massaging her crotch and the other rubbing her nipple. When was the last time she had done this? It was probably too long for her to remember doing so.

 _Goddamn Asriel and his cheesy lines and his…_

Frisk mind wandered to how Asriel would look like without those fabric on him. It was hard doing so considering the fact that it was rare to see him without his shirt on and to make matters worse, he had all that fur. Not that it was a bad thing, it was probably soft as silk and wonderful to touch.

Two fingers were now inside her vagina, sliding in and out to imitate him thrusting into her. As she went faster, she was nearing her climax.

 _Asriel_

Asriel was walking down the corridor, when he heard a faint voice. He stopped dead in his tracks and listened again carefully.

There it was again.

 _Is it coming from Frisk's room?_

He thought as he stared at the door intently. Asriel walked gingerly to her room, and he placed his paw on the doorknob.

"Hey Frisk, is everything alright?" he asked while stepping into the room.

 _Huh, nothing looks unusual._

Frisk was lying on her bed, a blanket drawn over her and 'sleeping' quietly. Was it his mind playing tricks on him? Asriel glared at the clothes that were on the floor and let a sigh escape from his body.

 _Such a lazy person_. _Can't even bother to pick up her own clothes._

Asriel proceeded to toss the clothes onto the chair near her desk. He then pecked a kiss on Frisk's forehead, said 'Goodnight' and then left.

 _Frisk_

The loud creak of the door opening and the light stabbing its way into the darkness startled her.

 _Fuck!_

Frisk quickly pulled the blanket over her, making sure it covered her exposed skin, and she pretended to be asleep.

From her half-shut eyelids, she could see Asriel bending over to pick her clothes up.

 _No I need those!_

There he was, calmly tossing her clothes away while she was as still as a plank and screaming internally.

 _Just get out, just get out._

Asriel walked towards her.

 _NO!_

Bent over and planted a kiss on her forehead.

 _Huh?_

"Goodnight," Asriel softly spoke before leaving the room.

Frisk couldn't tell whether the reason her heart was beating a million times per second was the fact she had almost been caught or his sweet compassionate act.

She let go of the breath she had been holding onto, and her tense body relaxed.

That was a close call.


	11. Diamonds and Gold

Frisk stared hard at the reflection in the mirror after she had splashed water all over her face. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and quickly looked away. She shouldn't have done that last night. It was stupid.

 _Was it?_

 _It_ _ **was.**_

She couldn't imagine what could have happened if Asriel knew what she did under those bedsheets. He'd most probably stare at her as if she were a monster. It would have ended akwardly nonetheless.

 _Maybe Asriel...does that too?_

He wasn't that kind of guy. The words 'sex' and 'Asriel' were miles apart. But she had been told that everyone does it at one point of their life. Maybe he probably has, but how frequently was unknown.

Frisk decided she should get dressed soon as she could hear the clinking of plates from downstairs.

 _What a gentleman he is._

She got into fresh clothes and quickly rushed downstairs. Frisk didn't want to make Penny wait; she could get impatient at times. As a result, she quickly wolfed down her breakfast and the two siblings went out of the house. Not forgetting to message Toriel of course. They didn't want the same mistake to be repeated twice.

"Hi Penny!" Frisk cheerfully chirped at the heap of purple that was resting on the table. She gave her a few japs here and there, and Penny looked up groggily, staring blankly at the two of them. Penny gave them a slight smile and she muttered out incoherent words.

The trio had agreed to meet at the library to study, as the mid-term exams were coming soon. They didn't want remedial lessons. No one did. Having to go back to school just for a couple of hours during the holidays sounded like the worst kind of torture you could hand over to them.

The siblings took their seats at the table and proceeded to start taking out their studying material. Meanwhile Penny's head was still on the table, her mumbling seeping into the background noise.

But, there was a bag on one of the chairs. It wasn't theirs and neither was it Penny's. They were a couple of small figurine keychains on it, and it piqued the duo's interest.

"About time you two arrived," a male voice spoke from behind them.

They could tell who it was, but what was he doing here?

The both of them stared at Dennis as he took a seat and their gaze kept on switching back and forth from him and Penny. They weren't informed about this.

"What I wanted to say, was that I invited Dennis along," Penny said, who was suddenly sitting upright and speaking clear English.

"Not to be rude or anything, but why?" Frisk asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

Penny gave a wide grin, as if she had been expecting Frisk's question.

"Because, he seems to be a great addition to our little ragtag team we have. After all, he gets high grades!" Penny replied and then gave a rather loud smack on Dennis's back, shocking him out of his reverie.

"Y-yeah, that's why I'm here," Dennis mumbled, "I don't really have anything to do on the weekends anyway."

The both of them decided Penny's decision wasn't bad and gave a nod of affirmation.

English and literature were first (much to Frisk's displeasure). _The Travelling Man_ was the book they had to read, and it seemed like she couldn't understand any of the characters at all. Why did he do that? What's her agenda? Those were the questions that flew across the vastness in his mind.

 _If I can't understand my own feelings, how am I supposed to understand others?_

Frisk stared hard at the lines he had highlighted, as if they had done a crime.

"What are you looking at?" Asriel ask as she leaned in closer to see what his sister was doing.

"I can't understand these," she told him while pointing at the lines with his finger, "not a single bit of it."

Asriel gave a slight smile and teasingly knocked Frisk's head with her hand.

"Didn't the teacher go through this already?" he said.

"H-huh? I don't recall..."

"He did."

"I don't think he did Frisk..."

"I'm ABSOLUTELY sure of it."

"I think you were hallucinating."

"No I wasn't!"

Penny started giggling at the two of them arguing over the most trivial of things.

"Do they do this all the time?" Dennis whispered to Penny as he glanced at them with curiosity.

"They sure do," she said grinning.

In the end, Frisk stood her ground and won the argument. She sat there with her hands on her hips and radiated smugness, especially with that grin of hers.

Everyone threw in a couple of jokes here and there while studying, and time flew faster than they had expected. Before they had even noticed, it was starting to get dark.

"Hey wanna get some food?" Penny suggested.

"No I d-" Dennis was halfway turning down the offer when everyone heard the rumbling from his stomach. It sounded as if he had not eaten anything for days and would eat a person whole.

Everybody burst out laughing, including Dennis himself.

"Alright alright, I'll tag along," he said with a sheepish grin.

They got a couple of Glamburgers from a neary MTT's Burgers and walked to the bus stop as they munched on the food. Dennis and Penny's bus came, so the two of them waved goodbye to the the two siblings and left.

That left the duo alone.

"Hey," Frisk said as she gazed at the sunset.

It was a bright ball of light, slowly descending into the horizon, and the darkness was already starting to seep into the clouds. There was still traces of orange on the clouds though.

"The sunset's pretty beautiful, isn't it?"

Asriel looked at her as he chewed on his burger, perplexed.

"I've never seen it that way," he said, "truth to be told, I see it more as a symbol that everything good will end. _**Nothing gold can stay.**_ "

"But the sunset does rise again doesn't it? _**Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.**_ Right?"

"Huh, I guess that's true."

The bus eventually came to the stop, and the two got on it. It was quite a long ride from the library to their house, close to an hour. Not many people weren't on it too.

Frisk was sitting next to the window, staring at the blurs of grey and green whizz past her when she felt something rest against her shoulder. She turned around, and saw Asriel's head leaning against her.

She couldn't help but stifle a giggle. It wasn't everyday she saw him like this.

"Sleepy goat, aren't you?" she said while she drew invisible circles in the fur on his head with her finger.

To her surprise, he responded.

"I'm just….really..tired," he said drowsily, "besides, I don't snore as loudly as you do."

"Hey! That's not true!" Frisk said annoyingly.

As annoying as Asriel may be, she had to admit that being around him was such a joy. Frisk feel as if all the troubles in the world were gone if she were with him.

Frisk remembered a sentence from the book she had been reading, and smiled a little. But little did she know, that Asriel had been thinking of the same very line.

 _Not even diamonds and gold can replace you._


	12. Old Friend

**A/N: So guys, I was re-reading the previous chapter, and that was when I noticed that Danny and Penny rhymed. And then another thought struck my head; "I don't remember having two characters with rhyming names." So I went to check my other chapters. And then I saw it. My horrible mistake. It was** _ **Dennis.**_ **Most of you were probably confused on who "Danny" was, or criticizing it. By the time this chapter has been released, the mistake would have been addressed. I'm so sorry for that careless mistake, and the very long gap between that chapter and the previous one, but I won't delve into the reason. Right now, I have more time on my hands, so the chapter updates** _ **should**_ **be more regular.**

"Do you mind if I play with your doll?" Asriel asked, twiddling with his hands.

Frisk looked at him for a while, and then bluntly told him while crossing their arms,

"No, I want to play with them a little longer,"

"Wha- but you said that just now!" Asriel said with a pout.

"Yes I did, and I still want to play."

"I'll tell Mom."

"Wait! Argh! Alright, alright, you can have it."

Even after she handed him the doll, Frisk kept on watching it, as if it were a dangerous object.

"Just..don't break it," she told Asriel softly.

He turned around to look at her, his face slightly confused at first.

 _Do they like this doll a lot?_

Asriel grinned from ear to ear and said that he wouldn't.

Frisk left the room, most likely to find something else to entertain themselves. Asriel stared hard at the doll like it was an offender, turning it around to inspect it. It was made of varnished wood and a simple cloth dress.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or peculiar.

Asriel shrugged his shoulders and continued playing with the toy.

 _This isn't my memory. What's going on?_

The scene slowly became blurry, and then distorted until it was a mess of blurry colours. They then started to slowly shift into a rural area, with trees surrounding her. Sand and earth was the ground instead of cold concrete, and the area was teeming with life.

Frisk was sitting on the sandy ground, hugging her knees close to herself.

 _I can't move._

Frisk perked up when she heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer.

 _I didn't do that._

Apprehension gripped her heart, and cold sweat started to trickle down her forehead.

The footsteps were slower now, but they were just around the corner.

When Frisk turned her heard to the side, and the sight bewildered her.

She was standing there.

Her.

 _This is a dream, isn't it?_

" **Chara** , are you alright?" her other self spoke.

 _Oh._

Memories started to kick in, and Frisk finally understood the situation she was in.

"Yeah," her lips said.

The words came out of her mouth involuntarily, as if she wasn't the one in control.

When her head returned to staring at the ground, she noticed that her hands were a tone much paler, unlike her usual slightly brown skin.

Frisk felt weird; her lungs inhaled oxygen without her breathing in, her muscles contracted and relaxed without her moving, and she felt emotions that weren't hers.

Right now she was feeling relief.

Frisk hadn't noticed it just now, but she could feel stinging pain on her arms. Even though it was so many years ago, she knew what was the cause.

"Why do you still want to be my friend?" her lips said and her head turned to look at her other self.

Frisk's eyes looked at the countless bruises and cuts that were on her other self's arms and legs. There were a few bandages here and there too.

"Cause why not?" she said and flashed a wide grin to her.

Her lips seemed to curl into a slight smile, but then they returned back to their downward curve.

"You'll get hurt," the words came out of Frisk's mouth. The relief in her heart faded away, and now sadness seeped into its place.

Her other self didn't say anything. She just sat next to her and placed her arm around her neck, and the two of them sat in comfortable silence.

The scene shifted once again, and there was no more clear azure sky. In its place was a high rocky ceiling, with pillars in the distance. Frisk could barely make out the rocky walls in the cavern, due to shroud of darkness that seemed to cover everything.

Except for the yellow buttercups on the ground.

Her other self was now standing next to her, but that wasn't what that caught her attention.

It was Asriel, much younger.

When the flower was still a part of him.

"The truth is… Asriel said while twiddling with his fingers, his gaze downcast and the flowers, " Chara wasn't really the greatest person..."

Frisk could feel her knees grow weaker, and a stinging pain. Not on her body, but in her heart. When they couldn't support the weight anymore, her legs collapsed and she was now on her knees. The flowers were now stained with drops of crystal fluid, and her arm moved to rub the crying eyes.

Frisk's eyes opened.

It was her bed, her room.

The scattered belongings that were on the table.

Hers.

She looked down to look at her arms; they were the same tone she has always known.

Frisk flexed her fingers - she could move now. She slowly pushed the blankets off and sat at the side of the bed.

She couldn't explain it, but it felt like her movements were impaired. As if they were shackled, or she was moving through water. Frisk couldn't find the motivation to do anything. Even the simplest of things.

 _That was your dream..._

Right Chara?


	13. Sidas

_Yes it is._

 _Y-you know Chara, if t-there's anything you need help wi-_

 _I_ _ **don't**_ _need your help, thief._

Frisk bit her lower lip, and she got up. While on her way to the kitchen, Frisk asked.

 _Why don't you ever open up to me?_

The question seemed to grab their attention, and she huffed.

 _ **Should**_ _I be obligated to? After all, we know each other so well. The only reason you're standing here is because of_ _ **me**_ _. You should have been dead a long time ago._ _The other kids? They got ripped to_ _ **shreds.**_ _As for you, you had the highest level of determination. But that wasn't enough. Remember that even you needed me,_ _ **partner.**_

The malice in their tone sent shivers down their spine, but they still held their ground.

 _But I just w-want to help you!_

 _Hah, really? We both know that's not true. You have the sick obsession of saving everyone; and not because it's the right thing to do. It's because you can. A completionist. Even if it means hurting others in the end. Not that I am in the position to judge you. Frisk, you and me, were two sides of the same coin._

The name sounded foreign to her. Maybe it was because Frisk hasn't heard them speak their name for a long time. Too long.

She looked around, and noticed a small little note attached to the fridge.

"I went out to go somewhere, I'll be back in a couple of hours! - Asriel" said the note.

Frisk let a sigh escape from her body. That meant nobody would be at home. It would be boring then. The best course of action she decided was to grab her phone and wallet, and leave the house.

 _ **Where**_ _are you going?_

 _Uncle Sans._

 _Out of_ _ **all**_ _the people._

Frisk didn't say anything more to Chara as she walked along the pavement of the road. Sans lived with Papyrus next street, a couple of blocks away. It wasn't surprising that their house was so close to Grillby's.

Once at their doorstep, she rapped her knuckles against the wooden door.

"SANS, OPEN THE DOOR. SOMEONE WANTS TO MEET THE GREAT PAPYRUS."

A few annoyed grunts came after that, and she could hear footsteps growing louder as they neared the door. A rather tall skeleton opened the door, and his face lit up. (can bones even do that?)

"HUMAN! WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?" Papyrus asked.

"Not much, I decided to come over as I don't really have anything to do."

"WELL, MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, I HAVE SPARE SPAGHETTI IN THE FRIDGE IF YOU WANT."

Frisk stepped into the house, and the first thing that caught her eye was the boxes on the floor and the stacks of papers on the dining table. The house seemed to be a little brighter too. Upon closer inspection, she found out she was wrong. The colors of the walls and ceiling was brighter.

As Frisk was walking, she tripped over something and fell face down.

"What the hell?" Frisk exclaimed as she rubbed her forehead.

And then, the most horrendous screeching came from behind her. It sounded like a scream, or howl. When she turned around to see what had caused her fall, Frisk's face blanched at the sight.

 _Why is…_

 _There a Gaster blaster?!_

She quickly retreated to the wall, her back against it. Her legs were close to her body, as if to increase the distance between her and the creature as much as possible.

"oh...kiddo, that's Snapper. i like to take him out for naps sometimes." Sans said, who had been on the couch.

The creature looked glared at her for a while, and then levitated and floated somewhere else, most likely to sleep.

"Haha.. I see.." Frisk nervously said.

"i haven't seen anyone react to it like that. you okay kid?"

 _ **Fuck**_ _. He knows that you've seen them before._

Frisk didn't say anything, she just got up and dusted her pants. It's been ages since she's last seen them. Not that she wanted to see them anyway.

She got up and looked around the house for a while. The stacks of papers that were on the table seemed mildly interesting, so she leafed through some of them. One of the papers were stained with a hint of yellow and very crumpled, probably due to old age.

 _Sidas, our forces can't take them straight on. We're slowly retreating back into the woods, but we can't do this forever; the village is just right behind it. Please send reinforcements, we don't have much time._

"Hey Sans, who's Sidas?"

"oh, um, just some dude my dad used to know. Jimmy's his son."

"You mean Nicecream Guy? So he's a bunny too?"

"Yeap."

Frisk leafed more through the papers, oblivious to the blatant invasion of privacy she was doing. Most of the papers were milky white, but the aged ones stood out like a sore thumb.

 _Gaster, when will those combat enhances be ready? Last week you said today, but I don't see them anywhere. I don't care whether there's side effects or it's not stable. You know what's really important._

"Should I know anything more about this guy?"

Sans looked at Frisk for a good while, as if they didn't want to let out more information to them. They heaved a sigh, and told them,

"listen here kiddo, if I tell you more about Sidas, promise you won't bother anyone about him alright? especially Jimmy."

"Errr...okay."

"Sidas died a long time ago Frisk. he didn't want to be trapped underground, so the human forces killed him. how do i put this...let's just say that his death wasn't a really pretty sight."

Papyrus seemed to be strangely quiet too, minding his own business in the kitchen.

"That's… a really selfish thing to do isn't it? He had a son."

Sans didn't say anything this time. Now, awkwardness filled the air, and no one uttered a single word.

"I'll be upstairs then," Frisk told the two of them, finally breaking the silence.

 _You should ask Asriel. Since he's got such a_ _ **soft spot**_ _for you._

 _W-what huh? That's not true!_

 _Some people are too blind to the world. And that some people is_ _ **you**_ _. I would like to know more about this...Sidas person more too._

 _I'd break San's promise though._

 _It's not the_ _ **first**_ _you have._


	14. Thank You

**A/: Hey guys! If you have noticed, I have uploaded a cover image of the fic. Full credit for the artwork goes to Aryll, whose Tumblr can be found at .com Go check out his artwork, he's a very talented artist!**

Frisk placed down her phone and rushed to the door when she heard the sound of knocking from downstairs, already knowing who was at the door.

"Welcome home your Majesty!" Frisk exclaimed as she opened the door.

"Frisk, I've already told you, you can't keep on calling me that."

"No can do Dreemurr."

Asriel put his bag down on the sofa and made himself comfortable on it, the blue fabric sinking under his weight.

"Where did you go in the morning by the way?" Frisk remembered to ask.

"Uh, just some school stuff, that's all."

"Doing what?"

"Like helping out with the new students in the art club. Yeah, helping out."

 _You shouldn't be meddling yourself with_ _ **useless**_ _chatter Frisk._

"Hey Asriel."

He raised an eyebrow when Frisk presented the very vague question to him.

 _Should I be doing this? I'm breaking Sans' trust._

 _That_ _ **clown**_ _doesn't matter one bit. Go on._

"Have you ever heard of a man...named Sidas?"

Asriel visibly flinched at the bluntness of the question, making Frisk feel even more guilty for going into territory she shouldn't be.

"Errr...why do you ask?"

"Saw some couple of papers with his name and there."

"I don't know Frisk, I don't think I should be talking about this."

" **Please, tell me.** "

Asriel lips curved down, not saying a word.

"Okay...just don't tell anyone I said anything, alright?" he finally spoke.

Frisk simply nodded her head, and she took a seat next to Asriel.

"How do I start… Sidas, uh, was one of the few that refused to be trapped underground, so I think you can guess what happened to him then. No one really likes to talk about him, Mom says he serves as a reminder of our cowardice. Some of us believe that we're haunted by him. Especially with those voices. B-but I think that's silly! Don't you agree with me, Frisk?"

Frisk merely shrugged her shoulders. She did believe in ghosts.

She talks to one almost everyday.

 _You're_ _ **not**_ _finished._

"Hey Frisk, is it me or you're acting a little strange?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

She drummed her fingers against her lap. Should she tell him? Frisk wasn't sure whether she was pushing him too hard.

"Hey Az, do you want to go to with me?"

"Hold on, ? Why?"

"Uh, for old time's sake."

"Like, all the way into the caverns or the outskirts?"

"Right inside, of course."

"I'm no lawyer by any means, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. And Mom'll kill us if she finds out."

"She doesn't wake up in the night and go knocking on our doors, does she?"

"Well, that's true. But we're sneaking out of the house! We'll get in trouble!"

"Not if we're caught."

"But- Ugh."

Asriel knew that arguing with his sister would get him nowhere. She wouldn't back down no matter what; that's who she is.

"Make sure to get a good rest, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever." said Asriel as he skulked his way upstairs.

The day went by like usual - Toriel came back from work, they had dinner, an hour or two before lights out, and then the two siblings went to their respective bedrooms.

Asriel was resting on his bed, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. That was the time they had agreed she would come over to tell him. He turned around restlessly around the bed, his eyes darting around the room to inspect every little detail.

The light that shone through the curtains looked as if they had gone through a blue filter, and it pooled on the empty space on the floor, revealing dust particles dancing in the moonlight.

Asriel heard the strike of midnight, and laid in anticipation for the footsteps against the wooden floor. He waited, and waited, and waited. The door to his bedroom didn't open, neither did a petite brunette came waltzing into his room. Surely it didn't take ten minutes for her to walk here?

Five more minutes, he had told himself that. If Frisk didn't come in by five minutes, he'd go over to her room.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The clock's pendulum swung in harmony with his heart beat. Asriel stared emptily at the ceiling, waiting.

"Goddamit…" Asriel muttered to himself as he got out of bed, messing the fur on his head in frustration. Why hadn't Frisk come by then?

He opened the door, and the cold air came breezing into his room. Asriel walked to Frisk's bedroom door, and gingerly placed their hand on the doorknob.

He slowly opened the door, and he could see the faint outline of the bed and table in the darkness. He blindly groped the walls as a support, making sure he didn't trip over anything.

On the bed was Frisk, soundly sleeping.

 _Honestly…_

Asriel stared at her, and he had to resist the urge from bursting out laughing. This girl goes talking about sneaking out of her house in the night, and then she sleeps like a log.

He neared her, his knees on the bed and his hands close to her. He leaned in and whispered,

"You've got to wake up, sleeping beauty,"

No response. Asriel let a sigh of disappointment leave his body. He shouldn't have expected much.

"Well, I guess I-"

He bleated in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck like a vice grip, pulling him closer to Frisk.

"F-frisk...you're c-choking me," Asriel managed to say between his gasps of air.

"Soft….bunny…"

 _Goddamit! I'm not gonna die like this!"_

Asriel felt shivers went down his spine when cold air blew on one of his floppy ears. When he glanced to the side, he noticed it was over Frisk's nose and mouth.

 _Great. Now we're_ _ **both**_ _going to suffocate to death._

Now that he thought about it, he was very close to Frisk. Asriel could hear her faint intakes of air, much to his dismay when it tickled his ear. Realization struck him when he noticed that he wasn't going to get himself out of this situation sooner or later.

"Frisk..let..go please," Asriel desperately told her. It was still hard for him to breath, so he kept shouting and talking to a minimum.

Air filled his lungs when Frisk's arms unwrapped from his neck, and his face dropped flat onto the soft bed. He swore that he was going to get back at her. Asriel looked at Frisk, and pondered how he was going to wake her up without dying in the process.

An idea immediately struck him and he went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Making sure to stay a good arm's length away from his sister, he gingerly poured the water on Frisk's face.

"Ah! Who d- What the hell?" Frisk exclaimed as she tried wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"You wouldn't wake up," Asriel explained.

"Couldn't you have used a much more nicer way?"

"Like?"

"I dunno, tickling. On second thoughts, no that's a bad idea. Don't you dare…"

Asriel's lips curled into a sinister smile as he got closer and closer to Frisk.

"Mr. Dreemurr, I'm warning you," Frisk tried to scare him off, but her attempt was to no avail.

The caprine lunged at Frisk and started tickling her, especially at the sides.

"Az! S-stop! You're going t- Ah! Wake Mom up!"

"Nah, she's a heavy sleeper."

Asriel mercilessly continued his assault, and tears of laughter were starting to well up in Frisk's eyes and her face got redder as the attack persisted. Once satisfied, Asriel stopped.

"That's what you get from trying to choke me to death."

"I did?"

"In your sleep, of course"

"Well then, you can't blame me for that. You're just so huggable." Frisk said as she wrapped her arms, loving ones this time, around him.

"Wha- No I'm not!"

Asriel started to feel his cheeks flushing, and he was certain that even in the dark anyone would be able to spot the blush on his face.

"Y-you better not sleep on me…"

"I might."

"Urgh, just grab a sweater and let's go already!"

"Alright, sheesh."

Frisk went to the dresser and grabbed a quite oversized green parka (most likely given by Sans), while Asriel on the other hand opted to stick with his plain grey shirt. His fur proved quite useful when the weather was cold. Not when it was summer though. Making sure they didn't wake up their sleeping mother, the two of them snuck out of the house dead in the night and walked along the road pavement. Not a single soul in sight, and the only noise they heard was the sound of their shoes scratching against the concrete. The orange lights that the streetlights gave out decorated the sidewalk, with a touch of stray moths encircling the light bulbs.

wasn't a far walk from their home, Toriel choosing to stay close to their former home, much like many of the other monsters did. The dark silhouette dwarfed the two youngsters, giving off the same ominous vibe it did many years ago.

Asriel hoped that Grillby wasn't out at a time like this to take a smoke or two. That guy never slept, or at least no one saw him. It didn't matter whether he smoked cartons or crates of cigarettes; it wouldn't affect him one bit. But he did take great care in making sure to not smoke near the customers.

When the duo neared the main pathway of the mountain, Frisk started to stray away from the sidewalk and onto the soily earth.

"Frisk! Where are you going?"

"The side entrance."

"There's one? How come you know about it?"

"Uh, reasons."

The leaves crunched beneath their weight, and tall pine trees surrounded them. They were starting to go uphill, and the rocky side of the mountain was visible through the gaps between the bark and leaves of the trees. There were less of them though, compared when they were at the base of the mountain.

"There shouldn't be any guards patrolling here," Frisk explained, most likely to assure Asriel that they weren't going to get caught.

The two of them were now standing on firm sand, with jagged rocks jutting out from the side of the mountain. Asriel guessed this pathway snaked around the mountain and into the caverns.

Comfortable? Awkward? He couldn't choose which to describe the silence between him and Frisk. The silence was a result of them not knowing what to say to each other, but not that it bothered him that much.

"Hey Az, how's...school going?" Frisk broke the silence with a seemingly innocent question.

"It's alright, people don't disturb me as much as they did like last time. It feels nice, not attracting unwanted attention for once."

"Azzy.." Frisk suddenly stopped walking, "do you have someone that you...like?"

Asriel's swore his heart skipped a beat when he thought of Frisk.

"W-where did that come from?"

"Minus one point for Dreemurr. You can't use questions as answers."

Frisk started walking, and so did Asriel.

"Does it really matter?"

"I just thought...it would be nice to know."

"Ye- Maybe. I don't know. That's the truth."

"That's believable."

Asriel flinched at the heavy sarcasm in her tone. He **was** telling the truth after all.

 _Maybe I do...or maybe I don't._

 _After all, she was his sister._

 _Was it wrong? Is it right?_

 _Is there even a wrong or right?_

Questions flew across the void in his mind like bullets in a gunfight. One question was returned with three other questions. It was a mess. Asriel wondered if he was normal. Like everyone else.

The entrance of the cavern gave entrance to an impenetrable darkness, and Frisk fumbled around in her pockets to get her phone out. The light emitted from the device speared through the pitch black, revealing the walls and floor of the cavern. She could hear the sound of precipitation dripping into small puddles, and the howling of wind.

The cavern in was a complex one; composed of small branches and a main one leading into the gaping hole. It was difficult to get lost as long as you followed the main pathway. Makeshift wooden planks bridged small gaps in the floor. Not necessary, but a commodity.

Occasionally there would be an oil lamp, probably left by some inspector, or by someone that came long before she was even born.

There it was.

The hole.

Asriel and Frisk slowly approached the gaping maw, as if it were a dangerous creature that would swallow them up at any moment's notice.

"Don't push me in alright?"

"Frisk, why would I ever think of doing that?"

She grabbed a firm grip on one of the barricades placed that were around the hole. It wasn't particularly sturdy, but it was better than nothing.

Her phone's flashlight couldn't even reach the bottom of the hole. How'd she survive such a long fall? Frisk wouldn't believe flowers could do that.

Meanwhile, Asriel was exploring the surrounding area, taking out his own phone as a light source.

 _ **It's been so long since I have seen you two.**_

Frisk stopped moving altogether, and she could feel her hands getting colder and colder.

The voice was gravelly and hoarse, and leaned slightly towards the male voice. But it didn't sound right. Sounded like human, yet at the same time it didn't.

 _ **Brings back old memories.**_

She couldn't move. Not a single muscle twitched.

 _Frisk,_ _ **what's**_ _going on?_

Was she the only one hearing this? Asriel must have. But she couldn't turn around. Was he even there?

A recognizable hand grabbed her hand, and pulled her along as Asriel ran. The sudden jerk seemed to have snapped her out of her stasis, and she fumbled to catch her footing.

It was hard, the only useful light source being Asriel's phone flashlight. Her's was on too, but it wasn't much use when it was pointed to the **ground**.

 _ **Two of my most prized possessions.**_

 _What the hell is he talking about?_

She didn't want to look back. She didn't want to look back. She mustn't.

Frisk looked back.

There was a **figure** in the darkness.

She let out a scream and her steps became faster and faster. The dark navy sky was getting closer and closer and closer. The two were almost out.

A few more steps an-

 **The fallen children.**

 _Crash._

Frisk fell onto the stony ground, her arms protecting most of her face. But there was an excruciating pain in her left leg. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't.

Asriel stopped and turned around. The look on his face - complete worry was written all over it.

An arm scooped under her knees while the other under her back. Asriel then lifted her, bridal style, out of the cave. When the recognizable scenery was back, a wave of calmness swept over the two. But Asriel didn't stop walking. Just to make sure they were far enough.

When they eventually did, he gently placed down Frisk onto the ground.

"I think..I might have sprained my leg."

"That's the best case scenario. Right now, we have to get as far away as possible from that fucking mountain."

The sudden profanities seemed to have jolted Frisk a little. It wasn't everyday that she heard Asriel curse.

"Uh, sorry. Does your leg hurt bad?"

"It's starting to get worse."

"I'm going to give you a piggyback ride, alright? It'll be easier to carry you home."

Without warning, Asriel went over and placed his hands under her thighs, and Frisk wrapped her arms around him so that she wouldn't fall off. Before she knew it, she was off the ground.

"As for Mom, we can decide whether or not to tell her later. I just really hope no guards heard us."

Right now it didn't matter to her. She was ecstatic there was another living creature with her in the moment. Frisk was glad that she hadn't followed Chara's first plan.

 _Going alone._

Involuntarily, tears started dripping onto Asriel's shoulder. Her arms seemed to wrap themselves around him even tighter as if she might fall off at any point of time.

She was just so scared.

"Hey...don't cry. I'm here, alright?"

Frisk wasn't sure her words reached Asriel through her sobs, but she hoped they did.

They were "Thank you."


	15. I'm the One That's Worried

**A/N: First of all, I would like to thank two people: UnderTravier for practically immediately pointing out the technical error of the latest chapter (I don't know how it happened though) and socialgirl378 for giving feedback since the early chapters of this fic. For those of you that managed to catch a glimpse of the previous chapter 'Idiot Friend' that I released, you might notice this chapter is much different from it. I didn't feel satisfied with the writing, and felt like characters were acting differently from how they usually do. So, sorry for the late chapter update, but I felt like that one wasn't up to standards.**

The four of them were gathered around the table at the school patio, looking like a group of rowdy drunkards. Not that they stood out from the other students though. The air was full of energy and noises: girls giggling, boys playing rough with one another. Asriel could hear the chatter, but he wasn't listening to it. The sounds seemed to blend seamlessly with the background, which was most likely due to how much time he has spent in this hectic and chaotic nature. He was used to it.

"So, how did Frisk manage to hurt her ankle so badly?"

Penny asked inquisitively, chin cupped in palm.

"Uh, we were just playing rough. That's all."

Asriel hurriedly replied. He had hoped that the topic wouldn't be brought to light. He felt bad lying to his friends. But what choice did he have? Tell them that the two of them encountered a ghost in a mountain? They would be lucky if they weren't brought to an asylum if Asriel had done so. He and Frisk hadn't told their mother either. She would have rambled on for hours and hours about their delinquent nature. It hurt Asriel, seeing Frisk trying to hide the pain. "It's fine." She would say when he asked about it. Asriel would try to support her when she walked whenever possible. But he couldn't be there for her all the time.

"You guys should be more careful next time," Dennis chided, "we don't want any of you getting broken bones or anything, do we?"

Over time, Dennis had opened much more to the rest of them. He didn't talk much back then, especially with that half-mumbling of his. The group wouldn't be complete without the unkempt curled hair and messy clothes of his. Dennis' bubbly and generally easy-going personality was starting to show too. Guess not being friends with a massive jerk had its perks. Now that he thought about it, Asriel hasn't seen much of Khallen – just short glimpses of him in the corner of his eye.

"By the way, what would you guys be doing for the school festival?" Penny added in.

"I'm playing the piano, as usual." Frisk who hadn't spoken much for the past few minutes said.

"My band's doing a performance! And my bud' over here is helping me out!" Dennis exclaimed rather loudly while wrapping an arm around Asriel's neck, bringing him closer.

"And we've got a surprise that'll definitely… **heat** things up."

Asriel gave him a glare, eyebrows furrowed. He didn't want Dennis letting out any more than he should be. That would spoil the entire surprise.

"Wow, in such a short time, you two have been awfully friendly lately." Penny commented.

"Of course!" He's helped me a lot!""

 _Not really. Just an agreement and cooperating with them._

Asriel's art club was done helping out the other clubs with their posters, so they didn't really have anything to do. You could say that he had too much time on his hands.

"The school bell rang abruptly, signalling the end of the group's conversation. Each of them were about to leave, when Asriel said,

"Frisk, one moment please."

She raised an eyebrow and put down her bag onto the seat. The other two seemed to have left already, and Asriel took a seat next to her.

"Is everything okay? What about your ankle?" he asked worriedly.

Frisk stared at him for a while, and then let off a sigh of disappointment. Asriel looked at her confused, had he done something wrong?

"Ow! What was that for?"

Frisk had given a rather hard smack on his back, and it did hurt a lot. When Asriel looked at her however, a playful grin wasn't present on her face.

It was a look of concern.

"Asriel, I should be asking that."

He simply tilted his head.

"Lately...you're not being yourself."

 _How so?_

"It seems like as if you can't relax. Your shoulders are always stiff, and you seem jumpier than usual. And you're always staring into space."

"I'm fine re-"

Asriel was gently brought closer, until his head rested on her shoulder.

"Hey! What's the m-meaning of this!"

The blood began to rush to his cheeks, and his hands felt unusually clammy.

"That's the Asriel I know."

Asriel glanced to the side, only to see a serene smile, so sweet and pure that he really couldn't believe his eyes. He noticed the glances from the other students, but he didn't really care. He just wished that this moment would last forever.

"I was just really scared Frisk."

"Anyone would be."

A wave of calmness swept over Asriel, as a result of the close physical contact with another living being. To not be alone, was a great gift. He's never really appreciated it, but now he think he does.

 _What would have happened to me without Frisk?_

He couldn't imagine a life without her. If anything really, she acts more like the older sister. Dependable. Trustworthy. Strong.

"Hey, you're going to be late for classes if you sleep on my shoulder." Frisk reminded.

Asriel jolted out from the awkward position, acting as if nothing had happened. Most of the students have dispersed too. Only a few remained, probably those without classes in that period. Asriel quickly caught up with Frisk, who had already started walking and was ahead of him.

 _The school festival huh…_


	16. A Duet for Two

**A/N: I'm fully aware of the lack of updates for the past few weeks, and yes there is a reason. I've got tests coming up, and this year's my streaming year. Graded assignments too, and Hari Raya celebration. So yeah, I had not really gotten the time to do anything.**

The air in the carnival was jovial, filled with laughter and chattering from the students. The sound of sizzling meat against the grill could be heard through the jumble of voices, and there were traces of burnt charcoal. Asriel could see familiar faces and new ones too. Just a few moments ago he was sure he saw his classmate, and the next second he saw someone that didn't look like she came from the country. Her chin was sharper and her skin tone a tad bit lighter than usual. Asian? He couldn't really recall. Visitors just seemed to stream into the carnival, and it would be impossible to recall the faces of a few.

Frisk didn't really mind the crowd, evident by her grinning face and the spring in her steps. On the other hand however, Asriel was starting to get a bit annoyed. About how his shoulder bumped into another's every few seconds, or how the air was stuffy. Just a sniff of fresh air would be enough to revitalize him. Unfortunately, even if he did find a way out of the crowd through some miracle, his hand was locked tight with Frisk's.

Not that he minded anyway.

But he did wonder how other people saw them as. Lovers? Siblings? It was very odd to see a monster and a human as intimate as they were, but siblings? If Asriel wasn't wrong, he hasn't heard of another human that was adopted into a monster family. He's heard of them, but never seen them in the flesh.

"Hey! Let's get some of those!" Frisk exclaimed as she tugged on Asriel's sleeve, pointing her finger at a stall. 'Fried Oreos' it said on the stall banner.

"You're going to suck my wallet dry, sis."

"A few won't hurt."

Asriel found himself being pulled along, and he decided to just go along with it. Surprisingly, the food smelled good and he couldn't help but take a closer look at them. There were light golden brown round objects, with the tops being coated with flour.

"Asriel, my buddy! You can try one if you like!"

His gaze quickly looked up from the food and fixated onto the stall owner. Asriel smiled politely in response to his wide grin.

"You can try one of these for free. Just don't tell anybody though." The sentence was ended by a chuckle from the boy.

"Alright then. Frisk, you want half?"

She nodded her head happily and took the half that Asriel had broken it into. He took a small of bite off it, and Asriel couldn't help but smile as he ate it. Soft in the inside and it was sweet. Crispy too, and a little bit crunchy. Asriel wanted more, and when he glanced to the side he could tell Frisk wanted some just by the way she stared at the ones on the tray.

In the end, they bought a bag of them from the stall. Asriel hoped they would spare some for their mother though.

The two of them went to all sorts of stalls; ones that had games with prizes (the only thing they won was a small teddy bear) and some sold little handmade crafts. Dream catchers, key chains, bookmarks and all other sorts of trinkets. Sometimes Asriel wondered if he was in a carnival or a garage sale.

"Hey Az, I've got to go already. See you at the performance okay?" Frisk said as she handed the stuffed toy to him.

He waved back as she disappeared into the crowd of people, and now he guess he was…

Alone.

He stood out like a sore thumb really. It felt odd without Frisk being together with him. Like a piece of him had been forcefully snatched away from him. Asriel tried to see if there was anyone he knew, but it was to no avail. He was in a sea of unfamiliar faces. Asriel then decided not to stand around and stick out like a sore thumb.

Dennis? Penny? Where were they anyway? He wasn't really sure where Penny would go in a time like this, but if he was correct, Dennis might be there…

He started jostling his way through the crowd and entered the school's main entrance.

Take a right. Walk down the corridor till the last staircase. Climb the stairs till the third floor. First door you see.

Those were the instructions Dennis had given to him, and now he found himself standing in front of a door. The bass label on it had long been diminished, and the only words were it was a 'B' in a black font. Asriel was surprised he could remember the directions.

His knuckles made contact with the surface of the door, and the door was promptly opened wide.

"Hey! Didn't expect to see you here!" Dennis joyfully told him.

He really had opened up more to him. Asriel remembered the first time they became 'friends' – he was awfully quiet, hands always deep in his pockets and always averting eye contact. He wouldn't believe back then if the person he was looking at was the same as 'that' Dennis.

"Just figured I drop by."

Asriel took a seat on a black bean bag in the room. He could see the kid with black hair that looked as if he had put on too much hair gel, and the other with shabby clothing but a wide smile to make up for it. He had labelled the one with black hair 'Drummer' and the other 'Teeth'. Asriel tried to recall their names – Jamie? Johan? Gary? Asriel couldn't remember. He had always been bad with names. Teeth was the band's guitarist, and frankly, Asriel pondered why he had gotten in. He looked like the kind of person that would be in commercial, advertising toothpaste or something.

A piece of paper was handed out to him by Dennis, and he took it. ' **LYRICS** ' was printed out on the front of it in big, bold letters and he turned it around. Not much of the words had been changed, just a few tweaks here and there. The first time Asriel was shown this piece of paper he couldn't believe himself. Out of all the people, him. And the lyrics had vexed him quite a bit too. But now he had grown used to the sight of them.

"Your fire magic alright kiddo?" Dennis asked.

Asriel snapped his fingers, sparks sprouting from his fingertips. His ability was more for show really. He couldn't imagine himself hurtling fireballs at someone. Frisk wouldn't like that either. When was the last time he used his magic? Other than lighting candles and what not. Oh yeah, that time when he showed it to Frisk. She really enjoyed the fireworks show didn't she? But what if others didn't see them in the same view as she did? Asriel could feel his heart getting heavier and heavier at the thought of showing them to the **entire** school. Would they be scared? Amazed? He really didn't know.

Asriel's eyes drifted from the paper to the clock that hanged on the wall. _12:30._ The performance was going to start in 15 minutes wasn't it? Funny, he didn't feel like he had spent much time in the band room. Just how long had he been staring at a sheet of paper?

"Dennis, I'll be leaving now." Asriel announced as he got up.

"Don't forget to meet us up behind the stage!" Asriel could hear him shout as he walked down the corridor.

The school hall was cold, but not **freezing** cold. Well, he could say it for himself. He wasn't sure for the others in the hall; some were shivering. Some of the seniors had came with puffy jackets, who had probably known beforehand how cold it was going to be. The hall was dark too, till Asriel could only see the silhouette of students sitting on chairs, the light emanating from the dim lights gleaming on the outline.

Where would he sit though? Asriel scanned the hall, and decided to just pick a random seat. It was no use, trying to see who was who in the darkness. He looked to the side, and a small Temmie was next to him.

Abruptly, the chitchat in the hall died out, and everyone was quiet. Not a single sound, so silent till you could hear a pin drop onto the floor. Then the stage lights turned on, revealing the red velvety surface of the curtains. They were slowly moved to the side, revealing people sitting on chairs with big oak brown cellos, violins, recorders. Percussion seemed to be at the back, while strings seemed to be the centre of attention. But that wasn't what he was looking at. On a slightly elevated platform, was the piano and on its stool was Frisk. Asriel couldn't really…describe her. The light gave her skin this sort of pale glow, and she was dressed in a long white dress. Was it the makeup? No, it couldn't be. It wasn't just her face that changed, it was the way she sat on the stool, the way her fingers rested on the keys, the way her body looked so serene and relaxed. It wasn't a single part of her that caught Asriel's attention, it was **everything**. She looked like a goddess to him.

And then it started.

The first part was fast-paced, with the drums and wind instruments dominating the first section.

Abrupt stop.

Cellos started kicking in with a slow tune, accompanied by violins.

The pitch shifted from low to high quickly, and back again.

The music felt grand, majestic, epic. It made Asriel feel as if he was sitting on a throne in a castle on top of a high mountain overlooking a village.

And then the cellos started to get louder and the drums joined in too.

 _Is this what orchestras feel like?_

He could feel the music resonate in his bones, every instrument he could hear no matter how quiet.

Then everything started to get quieter. Another silence in the hall.

If Asriel thought he couldn't be surprised a second time, he was wrong.

Frisk started to sing.

 _ **Sing.**_

 _Are there vocals in an orchestra?_

Frisk's voice was soft and gentle, each pronunciation like the gentle caress of a mother's. Her hands started to dance, one hand like a young lad and the other his partner, dancing harmoniously.

It was music to his ears.

 _When I see_

 _A light_

 _At the end_

 _And you're the only_

 _One I can trust_

 _If it's a must_

 _I'll give everything_

 _No I'm not angry_

 _Just as long_

 _As you stay with Me_

 _When the days are cold_

 _I was told_

 _You'll hold my hand_

 _Till the end_

 _So Darling, Darling_

 _Stay with Me, stay with Me_

 _Oh, stay with Me_

 _Whenever I'm in trouble_

 _Oh won't you_

 _Stay with Me_

 _Whenever you're in trouble_

 _Oh won't you_

 _Stay with me_

 _Darling, Darling_

 _Stay with Me_

 _So that I won't_

 _Be afraid_

 _So stay with Me_

 _Stay with Me_

 _So you won't_

 _Be afraid_

 _So Darling, Darling_

 _Stay with Me_

 _Stay with Me_

 _Stay with Me_

The last few words slowly slipped into silence, and Asriel hadn't noticed it, but the violins had been playing along. It was the end of the performance.

Asriel stood up and started clapping.

So did everyone.

Now, the whole hall was filled with thunderous clapping from the audience, some even throwing their jackets into the air as some sort of weird way of expressing their appreciation. The performers stood up, bowed to everyone and promptly left. Asriel wanted to hear more. To hear those words being said to him, just him. Not anyone else.

He felt slightly disappointed as he sat down, and caught the last glimpse of the white flowing cloth. Soon, it'll be **his** turn. Asriel hadn't noticed it back then, but he was scared. He could hear the beating of his own heart and he could feel his breath quicken. His feet got restless, and they were tapping against the wooden floor.

 _Calm down. Calm down. Think happy things._

He had managed to control himself, but his heart was as loud as ever. There were still a few minutes before his performance. Asriel got up from his seat and squeezed through the backs of chairs and peoples' knees trying to get to the exit. He wanted to get a breather. To calm his senses down.

The warm air rushed over him as he got out of the hall, and he could hear the faint chattering of people outside.

Asriel took a look out of one of the windows, just to get a change of scenery. People slowly moved from here and there, children frantically pointing at things they wanted, or parents carrying bags of what they had bought. Most of the students were either manning the stalls, or doing school events. But they were certainly some of them there.

"Good work everyone, especially you Frisk!" the conductor told everyone. She had just recently changed out of her dress, and she was now in a black shirt with a blue jacket. Strangely looked like Sans'. They were all dismissed, free to do whatever they wanted. Frisk quickly dug out the crumpled note from her jacket's pocket.

'Come for our performance :) P.S Asriel'll be there. – Dennis' the note said.

Where would he be? Among the audience? She'd definitely not find him in there. The performance was about to begin, so she quickly rushed in. Funny enough, she swore she saw someone she knew outside the hall. But that wasn't the priority right now.

There wasn't any fluffy creature in sight…except for that Temmie on that chair. Since the seat next to it was vacant and easy to get to, she decided to seat there.

"h0I!" the creature said.

"Hi, um, are you a student or a visitor?"

"temmie goes to school here!"

Frisk politely nodded her head. Even though they struggled with English, they were pretty darn good at maths.

 _Damn felines (or canines?)._

 _Frisk, this is_ _ **severely**_ _unentertaining for me. Is there anything better you could do?_

 _Oh come on Chara, we rarely see performances._

 _I do_ _ **not**_ _exist to see_ _ **fools**_ _pluck strings or move in awkward manners._

The curtains moved aside, but no lights were turned on. Frisk struggled to see who was there on stage. Surely Dennis would be there, but she could see the faint outline of a drum set and a few other people an-

Two orange flames sparked out of nowhere on the stage, floating seamlessly in the air. The light revealed four people on the stage and..

 _Is that Asriel?.._

 _I find this…_ _ **strangely**_ _amusing._

He was in a plain black sleeveless shirt, with long jeans to accompany. Simple, just as she had always known him for.

The drums played the majority of the music, with Asriel and Dennis switching out for the lyrics. Asriel was busy showing off by juggling the fireballs, the hue of it was a brilliant blue, slowly changing to a bright green and then to a warm orange.

 _Coming out of my cage_

 _And I've been doing just fine_

 _Gotta gotta be down_

 _Because I want it all_

 _It started out with a glance_

 _How did it end up like this_

 _It was only a glance, it was only a glance_

 _Now I'm falling asleep_

 _And she's calling a cab_

 _While he's having a smoke_

 _And she's taking a drag_

 _Now they're going to bed_

 _And my stomach is sick_

 _And it's all in my head_

 _But she's touching his chest_

 _Now, he takes off her dress_

 _I just can't look is killing me_

 _And taking control_

 _Jealousy, turning saints into the sea_

 _Swimming through sick lullabies_

 _Choking on your alibis_

 _But it's just the price I pay_

 _Destiny is calling me_

 _Open up my eager eyes_

 _How did it end up like this_

 _It was only a glance, it was only a glance_

 _Only a glance_

 _Only a glance_

Asriel ended the song with throwing the balls of fire above the crowd, then them bursting out into tiny stars, sprinkling down onto the audience.

It looked beautiful. It was as if it was a scene plucked straight from a movie or book, colours too vivid to be true, too beautiful too be reality.

Frisk managed to catch one, and it was warm to touch. Not too hot till it scalded you, but the warmth of another living being. It was a pure white, but upon closer inspection, she could see hues of different colours on some parts of it. Red seemed to be dominant one, green followed next.

The crowd seemed to be fascinated by it, and the Temmie next to her seemed to playing with one she got. But the other stars she saw were mundane compared to hers, plain white or just a dull single colour. She wondered why that was so. Maybe she was lucky?

The audience started clapping as usual, but what was unexpected was the screams from the girls, which Frisk was quite surprised by. She got out of her seat, wanting to meet Asriel as soon as possible. That was the only reason. Yeah, it was.

Frisk looked around to see if she could see him anywhere. Not in the room behind the stage, nor the corridors around the hall. Just as she was about to give up, a pair of hands clasped onto her shoulders. Even if she couldn't see who it was, she knew who those pair of hands belonged to.

"Az, nice performance you'd put up there huh? I really wasn't expecting that."

"You too."

He handed a drink to Frisk, and the both of them headed to somewhere not as noisy as where they were now.

"So, who had came up with the cheesy love lyrics?"

"Blame Dennis, not me. Admit it, yours were too."

"I thought they sounded pretty cool."

"Whose? Mine or yours?"

"Both."

The two of them were sitting down on the steps of a staircase, quite secluded from the rest of the school.

"Why did you suddenly decide on singing though?" Frisk asked her brother.

"Dunno, I guess I wanted to try something new. You?"

"I've always sung. Just I've never sang properly in front of you or Mom. So, those lyrics dedicated to anyone?" Frisk teased as she jokingly nudged him with her elbow.

Asriel didn't reply however. No scowl.

"Az?"

She felt a hand on her thigh, which sent a tingling sensation down her body. Asriel eyes were staring deeply into hers, and she found herself constantly glancing to the empty space on the wall. He was awfully close, and she could feel his breath against her lips. Too close, in fact. The blood started to rush towards her cheeks, and she was pretty sure she was burning red that moment. Asriel's gaze didn't falter at all, and they continued to stare into her.

"Listen Frisk, there's something I've always wanted to tell you. I've always…I-"his sentence was cut midway, and he withdrew himself and stared onto the ground.

"Az, what were you about to say?"

"N-nothing."

Frisk bit her lower lip and she just stared at her hands.

"I've got to go now. Dennis, uh, told me to meet up with him after the performance."

"Mhmmm."

Asriel got up and left, and that left Frisk only, with a crushed can of soda on the floor.


	17. Olive You

Asriel walked down the corridor, not stopping one moment to look back. His steps quickened, till he was in a half-sprint.

 _Shit. Shit. Why did I do that?_

He could clearly hear the beat of his heart and his forehead was wet with perspiration. He had jammed his fists into his pockets, but they wouldn't stop trembling.

Asriel needed somewhere to clear his mind. Somewhere peaceful and quiet where the only one that'll accompany him was the sound of the howling wind. Where the people became little dots and their incessant chatter turns into soft whispers.

The door swung right open and a breeze of cold air washed over him, the gust blowing back his fur. Asriel had been expecting the door to be locked, but it looked like the janitor had forgotten to lock it. Poor fellow, at such an age you're bound to forget the simplest of things.

This was the third time he was here - the first time was simply out of curiosity, and the second time being that he simply needed to kill some time before his art lessons began.

Asriel leaned against the wall next to him, and slid down and fell on his backside rather painfully. He stared at the sky, and started counting how many clouds he could see.

They were odd-shaped cotton balls that floated in the sky, against the backdrop of the merry blue sky. He could see the horizon through the railing at the other side of the roof, where the clouds hid behind tall towers of concrete and glass. And..

He'd lost count.

The dreamy aspect of cloud-watching caused old memories to surface, considering the fact that he and Frisk used to sit atop a small hill, pointing at the clouds and shouting whatever their minds deemed appropriate. Dog. Cat. T-Rex. The memories had the quality of a watercolour painting, the colours too faded to be reality. That was when they were younger though.

Frisk...he'd left her there alone. Should he go back? Why had he said that? Asriel still hasn't really confirmed his… _feelings_ for Frisk. He couldn't tell admiration and love apart now. They were lumped together, indistinguishable from their concrete forms.

"Arrrgh! What the hell am I supposed to do?" Asriel shouted at the sky while clawing at the fur on his head. He didn't have a single clue on what to do, and there was no one he could go to.

He couldn't tell their mother; Asriel might shock her to death. Sans...Mettaton did say he had the 'hots' for her. Penny? No, her opinion would be one-sided. The longer he thought about it, the more Mettaton seemed like a viable option. The flamboyant robot had to know a thing or two about love doesn't he?

Asriel's phone buzzed for a few seconds, and Mettaton picked it up.

"Hello Dearie? Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Uh, Mettaton? Sorry for dropping a bomb but...do you know what to do when you almost confess to someone you're not sure you like?"

Silence on the other end. Then chuckling. Merry and wholeheartedly. Asriel wasn't sure whether he was mocking him, or he was amused. Maybe both.

"Asriel, what have you gotten yourself into? Tell me the lucky fellow and I'll help."

"What? You don't need to know that!"

"Then I won't help."

"…Fine…It's…Frisk.'

"Oh my."

Even if Asriel couldn't see Mettaton, he could picture him already smirking away, stifling giggles.

"Alphys would love to hear this."

"Not a word to **anyone**." Asriel growled.

"If it's Frisk, you shouldn't try to push things too fast. You'd think fighting us in the underground back then would have made her impervious to these kind of things, but that isn't the case love. Remember, she's a _**person**_ too."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Oh! She'd definitely go for someone like you! You know there was this one time me and Alphys were screaming so much when the two of you w-"

Mettaton's excited rambling was cut short by a long monotonous beep.

 _First things first – check on Frisk._

Asriel dialled Frisk's phone and waited for her to pick it up. No response.

 _Okay, I'll just try a few times._

Asriel knew that her phone was receiving the call, but Frisk wasn't picking it up. Had she left it somewhere?

"The customer you have dialled is currently not available."

"What!" Asriel shouted in anger as he shook his phone furiously.

 _She had turned the darnn thing_ _ **off!**_

He was trying to make things right, before they got out of hand. But now, the chance wasn't presenting itself.

Asriel dialled in another number.

"Yes Asriel? Why'd you call me?"

"Hi Penny, do you by any chance, have seen Frisk?"

"She'd told me she wasn't feeling well and that she was going home. Why, is something the matter?"

"Oh, not really. Thanks."

Asriel considered the two possibilities. First, she's too freaked out by her brother almost confessing his love to her. Secondly…

 _Secondly…_

He didn't want to think about it; it was too good to be true. Asriel didn't want to get his hopes high. Why was he getting his hopes high in the first place?...He just admired her. He just…admired…her.

Asriel pondered whether it was worth chasing after her, going all the way back home and skipping the school carnival. He sat there for a second and got up immediately the next. The answer was stupidly obvious just right in front of him.

Of course his sister was more important.

His fingers rapped the wooden surface of the door, and promptly waited for it to open. It didn't swing right open like it usually did, rather it opened just slightly, the gap big enough for someone to peek through.

"Oh, it's you." Frisk said rather monotonously.

The door was now opened fully and Asriel walked in the house.

"Hey, um, Frisk. Uh, sorry 'bout just leaving you there. Didn't mean to do that. As for what I said…just don't think about it."

" _ **Don't think about it?"**_

Asriel felt a chill run down his spine. The way she talked…the cold air that hung around the words she spoke. It belonged to someone he knew. Someone that was long dead.

"You'd seriously expect me to do that!" she shouted as she looked back at him.

"Hey, calm down. I was just t-trying to say sorry." Asriel muttered.

Beads of perspiration began to form on his forehead. Things were spiralling out of control quick, and he needed to do something about it.

"A sorry won't cut it. Not when you acted like the way you did."

"Excuse me? I came **all the way here** to apologize and this is how you repay me? That's kinda of an ass move isn't it?"

"I didn't ask you to come did I?

"I'm trying to fix things here!"

"You think a few apologies can fix everything can't you?"

"Well **sorry** **you little stubborn fuck.** " The words had slipped out of Asriel's lips. By the time he had noticed, it was too late.

Asriel could see the tears begin to well up in her eyes, with that emotion written all over her face.

The look of betrayal.

It was painful to watch, as she turned around and ran upstairs. The slam of the door and the faint click of the lock.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He didn't want her to hate him. If that happened there would be nothing to live for._

That look was now engraved in his memory, and he felt an immense guilt weighing down his heart. He was the one that did this.

He rushed upstairs and knocked desperately on the locked door.

"L-look! I hadn't meant to say that!"

The only response was the soft audible sobs through the door.

"I'm sorry…please don't go…" Asriel said as he leaned against the door, sliding down it. He wasn't even sure if Frisk could hear him.

 _What should he do?_

"You know…I'd never known it would go down like this," he told her, "a pair of best friends with a door between them."

Asriel could hear the faint rustling of the bed sheets. At least he got her attention.

"I know I said some pretty stupid mean things, and I just want…to apologize for it."

The sound of footsteps.

"I know a few apologies won't fix everything, but I'm begging you. _**Please don't hate me**_."

"I'd never know what I'd do without you."

The sound of someone leaning against the door on the other side.

"Knock knock."

"…who's..there?" Frisk said between her incessant snobs and sniffing.

"Olive."

"Olive…who?"

Maybe Frisk hasn't heard of this one yet. Just maybe.

"Olive you."

The door opened, and there she was. Standing there with tears streaming down her face.

She fell onto him, and Asriel could feel the tears staining his shirt as she cried onto it.

"I'd love you as a sibling," Asriel said

"as a best friend,"

"and as everything else."

The grip on his shoulders tightened as she wailed and wailed to her heart's content.

"I've always loved you, and that's never going to change." Asriel told her as he stroked his sister's back.

The wailing had subsided into sniffling, but her fingers still dug into his shoulders as if he'd fade away any second.

 _This is your chance now. There won't be a second time._

"I never thought I'd s-say this to you but…" Asriel stuttered and he glanced to the side to avoid eye contact. The blood was already rushing to his cheeks, staining them crimson.

"W-w-would you l-like to go out with m-me?"

The words had sounded so awkward when it left his lips. It wasn't how he imagined it in his head – cool and romantic. Not a stuttering mess.

Frisk looked up at him, mouth wide open.

 _Great, now she thinks I'm a freak._

When he thought Frisk couldn't cry anymore, he was wrong.

"I've been waiting so long for you to say that…"

"to hear those words come from you."

"Of course I would!"

Asriel couldn't really explain how he felt when he heard her response. His heart felt light and at peace. All his regrets were now washed away, and even he couldn't help but tear up a little. He wanted this moment to last forever, to never be apart.

"I'm sorry too, Az."

Asriel really didn't know what to say now. Should he just keep quiet and savour the moment?

"I said some pretty mean things myself." Frisk told him. She had calmed herself down, and the crying completely stopped.

"But, you broke our promise."

Asriel raised an eyebrow in confusion. Had he?

"Lovers can't be best friends."

"Well, _technically._ But ther- You know what I mean." Asriel responded.

"Of course I do."

"By the way, do you think the teachers mark the attendance?"

""Dunno, don't care." Frisk said as she stuck out her tongue.

"Confessing your love isn't a valid reason for absence is it?" Asriel jokingly said.

The two of them chuckled at the humour, and Frisk pulled away from him.

"We can't stay like this forever. Don't want Toriel taking pictures if we do end up asleep."

"It's not like we're making out or anything."

The both of them blushed at that statement, and quickly scurried away.

"Y-yeah that would be disastrous…" Asriel said.

"…"

"D-do you want to try it out?"


	18. In the Heat of the Moment

_**A/N: Contains sexual elements. A lot.**_

"H-have you ever done it before?" Asriel blurted out without thinking.

"Not that I remember."

Frisk pursed her lips and fiddled her fingers, her lips parting to say something but she decided to close them. It would be unwise.

"That's what they usually do in the movies don't they?" Asriel stated with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Well, those are movies. It's not the same thing."

She felt a firm grip on her shoulder, and Frisk looked up from the ground and into his eyes. Emerald green was their color, like the color of fresh blades of grass in a surreal landscape, their hue saccharine that did not fit into reality. A color that she wanted to always remember and hold close to her heart.

Asriel was close to her, till she could feel his warm breath tickling against her lips, as if he was teasing her, his essence touching him yet not at the same time.

A heavy weight tugged on her heart. She was afraid that something would go wrong. Something beyond her control. That everything would break out of her reach and hurtle away, leaving her behind. An awkward silence hung in the air between the two, the tension building up so thick that you could slice it with a knife.

Frisk could lose everything in a blink of an eye, and she certainly didn't want that to happen. One wrong action, or words that she hadn't meant to say. Frisk felt grateful and insanely lucky that the harsh words she had told him hadn't destroyed the relationship between the two of them.

Not that she didn't regret saying them.

Frisk felt the uncomfortable stare that was affixed onto them, and she occasionally glanced to the side, as if to avoid it.

"Um, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. If you want to do it, I guess it's fine."

"H-huh? I never said anything like that!"

"Please, you were giving yourself away with those eyes."

"Not true!" Asriel replied, his eyes darting all over the room.

Frisk instinctively leaned in closer, so that their noses were touching. Asriel's blabbering immediately stopped, the flush on his cheeks getting redder with each passing second. Frisk felt her heart beat faster and faster, and Asriel's breath was getting heavier.

"What do you feel about hitting on your sibling?" Frisk teased and then gave a foxish smirk.

"I could say the same thing to you."

"Well, do yo-"

Frisk's sentence was cut midway when a pair of lips planted themselves against hers. She didn't believe what had just happened, his brother taking her by surprise like that. Frisk closed her eyes, and felt her mind get clouded, the only thought being that she wanted this moment to last forever. She didn't want to pull away, even though she knew she had to. Once the inevitable arrived, she took a long inhale of air, and she was slightly vexed by the big smirk Asriel had on his face.

 _ **That was utterly disgusting for me, Frisk.**_

 _Oh shut up you._

 _ **I wish I could leave this body and this room so that I don't have to go through this.**_

"That actually felt...pretty nice, you know." Asriel admitted.

"What, are you saying you want more?"

Frisk pushed Asriel onto the floor with a rather loud thud, and now she was over him, her arms placed next to his head.

"This is rather menacing." Asriel joked.

"Not the effect I was going for, but I'll take it."

Frisk played around with his fur, it being soft as clouds, and started caressing his face.

"I've probably said this before, but your fur is really soft."

"You did."

"Well then. I want my entire body to feel your fur."

"For that one, you didn't."

Frisk gave out a small giggle and told him, "I know."

She kissed the side of his neck, and she enjoyed the soft moan that Asriel gave out. There she began to explore further down, and she used her free hand to pull on his shirt's collar to signal for him to take it off.

Asriel promptly complied, and threw the shirt somewhere to the side. Frisk ran a digit down his chest, feeling the toned muscles underneath all the fur.

"Honestly, how are you so good at this?"

"Internet."

"I guess Mom was right about not letting you use the computer."

Suddenly, Frisk was now on the floor with Asriel over her.

"You can't have all the fun can you?"

Their lips were connected once again, but this time she felt something push against her mouth, wanting to be let in. It was his slippery tongue, and it had managed to snake its way in, and it was touching hers. Frisk's arms were around Asriel tightly, yet she could still feel them tremble.

He tasted so good, and Frisk just wanted to savour him more.

Asriel withdrew, and Frisk was slightly surprised when she felt a hand cup on of her breasts.

"You didn't ask for permission."

"May I?"

"Fine then."

His pair of hands massaged her breasts, and Frisk tried to stifle the moans from escaping her lips, not wanting to give in. Her toes curled, and her fingernails clawed into his back.

It felt ecstatic when his thumbs passed over where her nipples were, even though her shirt was still on. The look on his face was that of lust, and beads of perspiration began to form on their foreheads in the heat of the moment. It felt so strange, a feeling that she's never felt before. Her body felt light, and she wanted Asriel to leave no part of her untouched. She wanted him close by, to never let go.

Abruptly, the sound of harsh knocking came from downstairs, and Asriel clicked his tongue.

"I'll go get it."

He got off quickly and grabbed the shirt, rushing downstairs to go get the door. Frisk's heart sank lower and lower. Why now? Out of all the times? How long would she have to wait for another chance like this? She wished that Mom wouldn't have arrived now. Frisk guessed that she was a heavy sleeper, and she wouldn't be able to hear the footsteps of her walking around the house in the night.

That'd be nice.


	19. Envy

A horizon with no sun, one that stretches beyond her sight. A barren landscape that was whiter than snow, and a wind that was colder than ice. Silence stretched across the land, and she was all alone.

No heartbeat to hear.

No numbness to feel.

No icy precipitate to taste.

 _Everything was empty._

In this bodiless form of theirs, they were bound to be trapped in this freezing wasteland till eternity.

Out sprang from the void shapes, and ellipses of night black formed. Slowly, they opened, revealing eyes, with irises of green, that of the intensity of emerald. The strange creations seemed to stare blankly into space, but they noticed the intruder and abruptly, all of them were orientated towards her.

Green.

The color of _**envy**_.

She could feel their stares crawling all over her body, with their claws of strife pricking her skin with each movements. The eyes narrowed at her, discontented with the unexpected arrival of a guest.

"Why?" A booming voice asked, "Why did he choose you over me?"

"I gave everything I could,"

"As a sister, as a brother."

"I threw away my life for him, and yet why?"

"Why is he still blinded by his foolish impulses?"

She could only look at her non-existent feet, she couldn't respond, so that's what she did.

"I am not the villain of this story."

"You are."

Those words had struck her heart - she hadn't done anything wrong. She had tried to be good all the time, had she really done something wrong? Or were the both of them two sides of the same coin, different on the outside but the same in every fundamental aspect, neither side willing to accept that fact. After all, those two faces could never know they were the same coin.

Yet, even if she knew that, she couldn't see how she was to blame for this. Was she being selfish? Or were they too reluctant to let go?

Who were they to judge her? They had made mistakes too. Countless that almost costed their life and Asriel's. And one physical body too.

When she looked up, the eyes were gone, but not far from her was a figure crouching on the ground while hugging their knees close to their chest. They could hear the faint sobbing grow louder and louder as they neared it.

A green sweater with yellow stripes.

Their trademark clothes.

"Without him, what do I have?" they said as they wiped their tears on the sleeve of their sweater.

"I'll outlive him, and then he'll be gone forever. I can't even tell him I'm sorry, or that I'm still there."

She..really couldn't say anything. To see a side of them that they've never revealed to them was quite a shocker.

"If you're gone too, I'll have no purpose. I cannot end my life even."

How long could they survive?

She wanted to reach out to her, place a hand on their shoulder and bring them closer to tell them everything would be alright. But she couldn't, not in this empty world. Even if she could, she knew those words were empty without backing to them. She wasn't used to not finding a solution.

"I guess I'm being a nuisance now right? I think it's time to say goodnight," they softly spoke to her.

The world distorted and turned into the void, leaving them to be all alone.

When Frisk woke up, it wasn't her usual sudden jerk as she always did when she woke up from nightmares, but rather the blur of sunlight filtering through the curtains and pooling on the floor, revealing little specks of dust dancing in the air. Her eyes slowly opened, and the first thing she did was to try to call out to Chara. Frisk couldn't sense any trace of them in the narrow corners of her consciousness nor could she feel the eerie feeling of something under her skin, tugging her limbs to motion as Chara did if she wanted to do something quick. Frisk guessed they really didn't want to talk to anyone right now, but she needed the input of their opinion on her actions. Maybe she was a little too reliant on them. But that wasn't the issue. Frisk needed to find a good time and place to talk to Asriel.

She had almost forgotten. The word 'Mom' had sprung recklessly into her mind, and Frisk pondered over whether she should tell her. She really couldn't predict how she would react to the sudden news after her child being...dead for so long. Would she question them constantly about what they were thinking? Their opinion? Frisk guessed she could do that.

After tidying herself up, she set out to Asriel's room to immediately speak with him, which Frisk easily managed to do when she spotted him at the dining table on the way.

"Asriel," she called out as she descended down the stairs.

The caprine creature stopped his chewing of breakfast, and looked up from his plate, raising his eyebrow in the process.

"Morning, what's the rush?" he questioned her.

Frisk stopped in her tracks. She hadn't thought of how she would bring up the topic and instead, she had recklessly charged without thinking ahead at all. Plus, she was going against Chara's intentions of staying hidden. Frisk wasn't really sure she was doing the right thing of suddenly bringing such a controversial topic to him.

By telling him, she could potentially wound his happiness very badly, or worse permanently. The same could apply to Toriel. Was it really better to tell them? But Chara was hurting so badly, she could feel it. She wanted to tell them that they were still alive, making sarcastic comments as usual. However, she's never really asked them whether this was what they wish for. She was acting on her own selfish view of morality.

"Uh, um.." Frisk mumbled as she found an excuse to give to him, "it's nothing."

Damn it. If only Chara could respond to her right now everything would have been so much easier. She doesn't know of any method that could be used to coax her out - she simply only responded when she wanted to. And now she lacks the will to even show her face. Frisk let a sigh escape from her body, she really was in a dilemma. The truth came at a price, and now it was up to her be the judge, the one to weigh each side to equilibrium. But she wasn't perfect, everyone on a subconscious lean towards one side, which is due to our personality, what makes us as individuals.

Right now, she could see Asriel simply wolfing down his breakfast, or imagine Toriel probably teaching some kids at school. To take away their simple lives was cruel, but they were deserving of the truth. But they will have to carry the burden of knowing that their years of mourning were no value the rest of their lives. It was very much possible to Frisk that she was just following her own selfish sense of justice, and she will do it just because it has to be done. Everything comes at a price, even the righteous have to pay it.

She needed some sort of method to force Chara to come out.


	20. To Hate is to Love

I told my brother a long time ago, that sometimes to be kind is to be evil.

To hate is to love

and to love is to hate.

Unsurprisingly, he did not understand me. Up to this day I am still unsure whether he has wrapped his head around this concept.

So let's break it down shall we?

If someone were to love everyone, unconditionally, would the feelings they show towards someone be considered as love? Without an opposite state to exist, their feelings would then be neutral. This person would love everyone and would not know that love exists, because that is the 'base' state for them. This concept can be applied to many other things.

Light must exist with darkness.

Good must exist with evil.

But this kind of thinking can be harmful to oneself. It provides an excuse to sin and an escape from guilt. Why remorse when one's actions is just a part of a balance? To know that one's sins is a necessary part of the balance, it could potentially destroy the balance itself. Maybe this knowledge should be better kept unknown. Hidden away from those who warp this thinking and use it to their own advantage. Their philosophy would spread like a poison, person from person, like a disease.

And that is why I believed that everyone was born fundamentally evil.

It makes sense.

The balance would be constantly kept in check by one's subconscious, which is out of reach of the mind and body. Similar to as how someone would guide you. A third-party. But this philosophy is not the 'end-all-discussion' answer. There are still aspects of morality that has not been brought to light, and people would still bicker over what is wrong, and what is right.

Who decides what is evil and right? Is it up to the individual? Society?

But society is just a collection of individuals living together with a form of base thinking among them; though there are deviations and anomalies here and there.

Personally, I believe that it is up to them to decide what they base their morality on, for it is them that will act their actions.

The only reaction that I got from my brother was a bewildered look on his face, his eyes wide open. I shouldn't have expected much from him. Asriel was very much similar to his parents — good-natured by heart, kind, caring. Never in their entire life had they have the intention to harm others. To sin was despicable. But they were forgiving too.

Maybe that was why our plan had crumbled to pieces. The differences in me and Asriel's thinking had caused Asriel to stray away from the intended path we chose.

Maybe I was the only one that chose that path.

Maybe Asriel didn't want to follow the plan in the first place.

That he was pressurised in doing so.

We could have gained the freedom of the monsters a long time ago. But I should have known that wasn't possible.

He was too kind.

Asriel was whiter than snow, and just seeing that someone like him made me disappointed in myself. I was slightly angry at him for making me feel like that.

His very presence was a way reality was taunting me.

So when the time came when we had accidentally poisoned our father with buttercups, I felt good. Seeing the remorse written all over his face. It just screamed,

"I was a part of this."

But I could not stand that face of his any longer, so I decided to take off some of the burden on his shoulders.

So I told him not to worry, that it was a trivial matter, that father was strong compared to us. Being the king of all monsters, would it not be pathetic for him to fall to a dainty flower? What I had not known back then was that Asriel would mistake my lack of concern towards our father's well being for a lack of morality. I don't really blame him.

In fact, seeing our father on the bed, coughing and hacking as mother rushed towards his side, made me feel quite sympathetic for him. A little accident had proven to be quite harmful. If I or Asriel were in his place, we'd certainly die.

And then I remembered the stone tablets.

About how a monster could absorb a human's soul.

The tremendous power we could have on our hands.

So I began to devise a plan in my head, the gears in my brain ticking and turning and clanking as it spewed possible suggestions to accomplish that goal. When the ideas had finally fallen into place, I decided it would not be long to initiate the plan.

We'd had to kill a few humans to break the barrier. But I decided it was worth it. That the freedom of an entire race outweighed the lives of a few individuals. I could show them what the sun looks like, what it would be like to frolic in fields of flowers and feel the sun beating down on us. I could have made them sit atop one of the towering mountains, and feel the wind gushing past their cheeks.

I could come back to the surface, and I would not have to come back to my previous mother.

But that was not meant to be. It ended up to only turn into a dream, a mere fragment of imagination.

Up to this day I cannot still believe that Asriel actually backed out of our plan. That he'd betray me in the end. Is that what our relationship really was? That he did not see me as a 'sibling', but as a oddity that came from above? All the effort I put into the plan, and it all was in vain.

I'll admit, I hated him for that.

But then, you came along.

Somehow, you managed to free them in your own way, to not hurt a single soul, at the expense of yourself. You even managed to save him. At first, I thought your actions would be fruitless, that your sort of logic doesn't really hold up in reality. But then I saw, right before my eyes, you befriending everyone you met, not even dropping a single HP point off someone.

But I just know, for some reason. Some unfathomable reason, that I truly cannot wrap my head around.

The reason why I know what **dust** feels like on my hands.

I can feel the tacky substance clinging persistently onto my hands, along with the blood that flows from my wounds. Fingers curled around the hilt of a knife. Dirt and grime on my skin and clothes.

I've always wondered why that was so.

Have you, Frisk, ever done anything **questionable** in the past?

After all, there must be a reason as to why you are so persistent to not hurt anybody. It seems quite unnatural to me.

However, these could be just my instincts just running wild. I have no physical evidence that I have ever touched dust in my hands. If you had done anything, I would have certainly remembered, right?

 **Right?**

* * *

It feels great to run away. To be able to not solve your problems. Anything can be solved by running away. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are or what condition you are in, running away always solves everything. There will be no fear of consequences, for there are no consequences.

"That's what you've been doing all this time, right Chara?"

Running away.

You're afraid that he won't accept you, but is it really okay to run away? All problems can be solved by running away, but it isn't always the best solution. Everyone fears the outcomes their actions can have, and it's okay.

It's perfectly reasonable to do so.

To face one's problems takes courage, but to accept those consequences takes faith. Faith in one's self. That'll you'll still stay strong even if things don't go how you wanted it to be.

That's why you don't want to tell Asriel about your existence, no?

His reaction is an unknown, and humans fear the unknown. It can be good or bad. It could be anything. That possibility that someone you once loved will hate you now scares you. But is it really okay to keep on running away? How long do you intend to run away for Chara? The rest of your life? You've been avoiding this problem for a long time now, and you're afraid of something else too.

A question.

"Why hadn't you told me earlier?"

This fear was the product from your other fear. What seemed like running away from a single problem has branched into another. This tree will probably keep on expanding later on in the future. It will root itself inside of you, and you'll have to live with it.

So are you telling me that your fear dominates your love for your brother? Do you truly love him? They say that love can make a man go blind, which is certainly true. But in spite of that, even though all logical reasons point to running away, you'll tell him anyway.

Don't let the past shackle you.

 _The dust sifts through my hands, and it forms a pile on the tiles._

Everyone makes mistakes, and instead of clinging onto it, learn and let go.

 _A scrap of torn fabric lies before the open gate._

Even if he doesn't forgive you, be glad that you tried, that you told him "I'm still here".

 _Buried under the barren landscape of snow, a red scarf remains hidden._

So please, let me tell him.

 _The void wraps around me like a snake, slowly constricting me as I writhe about. This feeling of 'nothing' makes me vow to never to return to this black canvas ever again._

* * *

"Asriel," Frisk called out to her brother in a rather stern voice, holding weight to her words. She knows that he recognized this tone, and she didn't want to waste time on blabbering about trivial matters.

The young boy turns around, and as expected, raises an eyebrow.

"There's something important I need to tell you."

Asriel pauses for a while before proceeding to take a seat next to Frisk. Not a single word was uttered from him, his eyes not wandering elsewhere, giving her the full attention.

"You do still remember Chara, right?"

He looks over to the side, biting his lower lip. After a long exhale, he finally speaks,

"Yes, I do. Not that I'd ever forget."

Frisk had to be careful; she was treading on thin ice right now. One small misstep can cause the entire sheet to fall apart, plunging her into the freezing cold. All the persuasion would have been in vain, and she'd feel like a failure at the end.

"They were buried under the bed of flowers in the ruins, the ones they wanted to see from their village."

Frisk could see the corners of his lips just curve upwards just a little, so little in fact that many people would have completely missed it. But not her.

"I'm glad to know that."

"Except that their soul doesn't reside within their corpse."

Asriel turns to look at her again, his eyes narrow with doubt.

"I'm sorry, but don't human SOULS shatter when they perish?"

"Well, I'm not specifically talking about those kind of souls, I'm referring to the ones relating to spiritual." Frisk briefly explained.

"So what, are you going to tell me that they're still stuck in the ruins and need saving? That's pretty like you, Frisk."

"No, they're not in the ruins."

"Then where?"

Frisk lowered their gaze towards the floor, their eyes affixed onto it. They slowly clasped their hands, and slowly told him,

"They're with me."

An eerie silence fills the room, and Frisk still keeps her eyes directed downwards. She hadn't seen this coming, but she could feel her heart throbbing, the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

 _A FIGHT or FLIGHT response._

Like a humongous drum, her heart beats to a rhythm, a tempo and they began to feel increasingly light-headed. Cold precipitation starts to form on their palms, and their knees started trembling under their weight.

"For how long?" Asriel questioned.

"Ever since I entered the Underground." A quick response was blurted out.

"So, all this time, you two haven't told me?" He asked with a snarl.

Frisk instinctively inched herself further away from him, and they could feel their heart immediately begin to sink. They wished it wouldn't have come to this. If only Asriel was more like Toriel, she would have accepted this news with tears streaming from her eyes.

But Asriel wasn't like that. A mix between his father and mother, but there's still some part of him that's unique. Not from a combination of his parent's characteristics, but because Asriel was...himself.

And now they had come face to face with the question they both feared and wanted to avoid.

"It wasn't easy."

 _A quick evasive step to avoid the blade._

"Did you think it was easy for me then?" Asriel quickly replied with his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes locked onto Frisk.

 _But the second strike, they never saw it coming, and it caught them off-guard._

"No, we never thought of that."

"So, I was irrelevant then? You guys hadn't thought about me?"

 _The look of despair and shock that was displayed on their face._

"But that's what we were doing! Neither of us had wanted this situation to turn out like this."

 _The false facade they always showed to others, just a desperate attempt to ground themselves in reality._

"I really want to forgive you, but something in me tells me I can't. That I wouldn't be fair to myself if I did."

Frisk could feel her heart get shattered into a million pieces, and then each one of them slowly crumbling to dust. To not be forgiven had to be the worst outcome. She didn't know, but tears were starting to stream down their cheeks.

 _They stared at their hands, coated in dust - the handicraft of their work._

"Shit." Asriel muttered under his breath. He moved closer; Frisk hadn't reacted to the invasion of personal space at all.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just, can't do it. One day I know I will, but that day is not today." Asriel told her as he put his arms around their chest, bringing them closer so that the tears would soak into their shoulder. He didn't know whether those tears were her's or Chara's. Or maybe both.

"It just wouldn't be fair." he told them one more time.

 _To hate is to love._


End file.
